You might be asking yourself, Why Parks and Rec? Well, I have always liked the outdoors and anything dealing in the outer world (When I say outer world, I am referring to the world outside of a business office). I cannot stand to be cooped up in a classroom for four hours a day, let alone an office for eight to ten. I was not really sure if this major was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life until this summer. This summer I worked for the Oaklawn Park District, doing maintenance and construction of the thirty-two parks and wild life refugees that the District owns. This gave me a up close and hands on experience to the Parks and Recreation world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Some people think that the Parks Major is a joke. Well, I would have to disagree. For Instance, this particular major has one of the longest sequences that needs to be followed before receiving a degree in the field. The sequence followed closely resembles the Business degree sequence, which just happens to be the hardest individual sequence at the university. Once a person receives his or her degree, they are ready to enter the vast fields of Parks and Recreation.
The Parks and Recreation fields are of great importance to the world as we know it today. The average citizen in the United States has approximately three to four hours of free time on their hands a day. This free time needs to be used properly and safely, and that is where my field comes into play. It has been said that without recreation and the programs that get set up because of the Recreational job, people would suffer from boredom, and as a result be more prone to crime and violence. I do not know if this would really happen, but I am sure life would be quite dull without the beautiful parks and other programs that I will be able to set up once I have received the proper training in the field.
The proper training for this field is why I am at this school. The Parks and Recreation department at this school is very up to date in its teaching methods, along with the material that is being taught. Most of the teachers have Masters for their particular field of study, and everyone I have come into contact with has had a hands on experience sometime in their lives. I am not saying that all the teachers have, but the ones I have come in contact with do. If I had to rate my education in this field up to this point, I would give it a eight out of ten ranking. I just hope it stays that way.
Even though there are thousands of parks and recreation areas in the United States, there still seems to be a job shortage as with any other field today. The competition is quite intense and unrelenting. If you want to get hired in todays job market, you need to set yourself apart from everyone else. The way to do this is by joining fraternal organizations and other organizations that will give you a notable background of the field, and a big jump above all the other students who will be trying to find jobs along with yourself.
Parks and Recreation is quite a diverse field, and because of this there is always something going on. For instance, the new "Green Movement" that most of society is following has put a vast amount of pressure on the field. The people who build and run such things as ski areas and mountain bike courses, are coming under fire because the "Green Movement" claims that they are ruining our natural beauty and resources. However, look at it from this point of view. The largest ski area in America process about one million people through it's slopes and backcountry a year. That is a hell of a lot of money that gets put back into the state for conservation or that can be used for other things. Not only is it money, but the people are able to experience the great outdoors, and it makes them more aware of the world around them.
Now that we have discussed the field, I hope to be at the top of it in ten years. I know that this seems a little ambitious, but seriously where I hope to be in ten years is a CEO of a major Ski area or park in the western part of the United States, hopefully Colorado.
Well, I have shown you why I am interested in this field, some of the training that is needed for the field, and also a problem that plagues it. I hope I might have interested you in the field, but not enough to have to compete with me for a job. (Just Kidding). With any luck the next time I see you on the slopes, they will be owned by me.
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