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Hi all,
Let’s put the question at the top: will my work as a VUA with the USFS look good to NPS hiring managers in future seasons, or do they prefer to see that folks have worked in the National Parks proper? Context below.
I've been fortunate enough to get job offers for seasonal VUA work from both the USFS and NPS this year: a couple of postings in Oregon (one ‘rural,’ one ‘remote,’ as the hiring managers described them) with the USFS, and an offer for a spot at Rocky Mountain National Park with the NPS. I’ve also gotten interest checks from some other NPS sites in the past couple of days.
At this point, I’m leaning toward the more remote USFS site, but wonder if the experience there will look good to hiring managers for any National Parks I apply to down the road. From the conversations I’ve had with hiring managers in the last few days, the duties of fee collection/basic visitor orientation seem similar from one post to the next; volume of contacts is the thing that will vary most from one job to another. I also get the sense that I’ll have more chances to try other work and help in other areas at the smaller/slower Oregon postings, but wonder if NPS hiring teams would prefer, in the future, to see that I’ve dealt with the high volumes of a big park.
Thanks for any feedback you can offer!
I will agree with the other commenter that the jobs are pretty much identical and that they should look at the experience as the same, but I have had interviewers from the NPS say that they were most interested in talking to my NPS supervisors for references and not my USFS ones. I have found the NPS to be somewhat snooty and they definitely consider themselves the best Land Management agency.
I would consider your goals here. If your goal is to work specifically for the NPS, I would take that job. It will probably be harder as the location will likely be significantly busier than the USFS options, but I think you're right that the high volume and agency will look good on your resume. Additionally, this is definitely the way to go if you're looking to make a career in fees.
If you're not necessarily looking to make a career out of fees or if you're looking to diversify your skills, then I would take the USFS position. For example, if you're looking to cultivate skills related to maintenance or interp then the smaller/slower site that might give you the opportunity to do that is better.
Taking a USFS job to start with also isn't going to prevent you from getting NPS jobs. My first seasonal job with USFS. I've done two seasons with them, one season with California State Parks, and one with NPS. I've also just accepted a summer job with the NPS again. But, like I said, the NPS is a little snooty and some hiring officials might be more likely to consider you with an NPS season under your belt. I definitely got more interest checks and interviews this hiring season from the NPS with an NPS job on my resume.
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This is also a very good and important point. I totally read those threads on Facebook and completely forgot about them.