June 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 54

U.S. Navy

R E D, W H I T E A N D B LU E

Keeping service members fit is one of the
main roles for MWR staff.

Social Work; Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ); and Public Affairs.
" My educated guess is that the majority of veteran students are likely enrolled in CCJ, " Larsen explains. " This
makes sense, largely because of the
police and public-safety concentration area following military tours of
duty. The veteran students enrolled in
SCRD (the school I teach in) are very
interested in long-term military jobs
related to Welfare and Morale Services located on military bases.

Larsen's caveat means veterans
considering degrees in parks and recreation need to be strategic in their
planning in order to find not just employment, but employment that satisfies their long-term goals in the field.
Thinking Ahead
" I would definitely advise someone
thinking of a park and recreation career to get as much practical experience as possible, " says Lang. " Whether
that's through interning, volunteering
or paid positions, experience as many
of the unique career paths available in
parks and recreation as you can. Suc-

" I have my sights set on MWR because I have positive
memories of MWR activities and programs from my
time in the Navy, and it seems like a good fit with my
military background and my new degree in recreation. "
-Mike O'Neill, Navy veteran and
recent George Mason University graduate
" As much as I would like to speculate
that a large percentage are interested
in public parks, recreation and public
administration, " Larsen adds, " the unfortunate truth is that this area has been
cut the most in recent budget cycles, not
leaving much opportunity for veterans
seeking careers in federal, state and local
public-sector employment. "

Parks & Recreation

cess in the field is a study in multitasking, creativity and team-building - all
skills attained through tangible service
in front of the public. "
" My advice to military members
who think they would like to enter
civilian parks and recreation someday
is to earn a recreation degree and/
or acquire national recreation certifi-

| J U N E 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

cations before they separate from the
military, " says Matthew. " By having a
degree or national certifications, you
will open up many more doors of opportunity in the civilian career field. "
Goodman advises assessing one's
goals in parks and recreation from a
high level: Does the veteran want to be
a programmer or an administrator?
" Depending on their career path,
this can determine what classes or career assignments they should look at
pursuing, " Goodman says. " A business
or programming foundation is something college students need to look at.
" Having good classes on leadership
and practical opportunities along the
way to apply this knowledge in both
an academic setting and later a professional setting are crucial, " Goodman continues. " Managing processes
and leading people are the two things
you can boil operational success down
to. If you can manage processes, but
you cannot lead people, you will not be
as successful as those who can. "
Matthew has a parting piece of
advice he believes anyone interested in pursuing parks and recreation
should consider.
" Don't expect to earn a huge salary, "
he says. " Even at the top of my organization, my salary is nowhere comparable to the salary I earned as an officer
in the Air Force. However, I am doing
something I truly enjoy doing and find
the intrinsic rewards of helping to improve my community much more satisfying than earning a big salary. Besides,
how many people can go swimming,
lead a hiking group down a mountain
trail, lift weights, take a jog, ride a bike
on a trail, take a group skiing, shoot
hoops, play baseball, kick a soccer ball
or toss around a lacrosse ball with community youth, all while having been at
work all day long? "
Phil Hayward is a northern Virginia-based
writer and editor and former editor of Parks &
Recreation (phayward88@gmail.com).

June 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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