All of this began to change about 35 years ago. Now if you want to camp, you make reservations in a public or private camping ground a month or so in advance, and if you are lucky, you get to park trailer-to-trailer or tent-to-tent with thousands of other people in splendid isolation.
With urban sprawl gobbling up fields and forests and with water and air pollution becoming a major problem in the city, with over-crowded parks and diminishing seashores, never has the need been so great for trained recreational management and planning specialists. These are the challenging health and safety jobs of the park assistants. Leisure, which was once considered sinful, is now a necessity. People have come to feel that they must have places to hike, picnic, bicycle, swim, and fish, to maintain their physical and emotional well-being. Thus, there is now a continuing demand for more parks and recreational lands and a corresponding demand for more park personnel, including park technicians, to build, maintain, and manage these areas.
Park assistants need to have a combination of both theoretical and practical know-how. For example, in taking measures to control weeds, they must know why they are using the methods they do. As they try to prevent widespread diseases of plants in the field, they must know what recent research has discovered that may help their work. As new methods, they must be able to use them to their best advantage. Park assistants should be able to meet and talk with all types of people. They should also like working outdoors, doing all kinds of work, including working with trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass. Because much of the work in the field of park and recreational land management is mechanized, students should take a course in small engines and equipment. Also, they should have a course that introduces landscape design. This is necessary for his ehs careers to flourish in the near future. In addition, students should take at least one course in communication skills and one in report writing. Much of the part technician’s daily work requires strong language- both oral and written skills. They might also consider courses in economics and psychology to help them in working with people. Typical first year courses include communication skills, soil sciences, and water conservation. Hiking, camping, gardening, and participating in nature study programs all provide opportunities for people to become acquainted with the work associated with managing and maintaining parks and recreational lands.
New methods, machinery, and facilities are constantly being developed for parks and other recreational lands, so a good park technician should be someone who is receptive to new ideas and willing to put them to good use. Good park assistants must also be able to work with management, to direct other employees, and to assume the role of both employer and employee. Park assistants must be people who can periodically respond to peak workloads and public demands without feeling under pressure. Constant contact with the public, not all of whom are pleasant, will require great reserves of tact and patience. Park assistants must remain calm in times of crisis, because there may be times when people’s property or even lives depend on their resourcefulness and flexibility. People who love the outdoors and want to play a vital role in conserving, maintaining, and expanding the uses of our natural resources can find a unique satisfaction in being park assistants.
Park assistants also work outdoors which is also involved with safety health job. They must be very much at home in the outdoors, because they will probably have to work under all kinds of extreme conditions. Although they usually work 40-hours a week, their hours are often irregular during major tourist seasons. Students completing courses of study leading to employment as part technicians are usually offered employment during their last semester in college. Representatives of state and federal agencies visit many college campuses and discuss employment opportunities with the students. The various park commissions often contact college campuses directly for possible employees. College placement offices and faculty members also can frequently direct students to potential job opportunities. Work-study or cooperative education programs may be available. Students enrolled in such programs often find permanent jobs with or through their cooperative employers, or at least become familiar with opportunities in the field.
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