Camping Career

[CAMPFRIEND]

I just wanted to see how many of you after you get done with college are looking to stay with camping as a full time job? If not what are you going to do?

[Flukie]

I am majoring in Biology and Secondary Education, so the goal is to teach during the school year and someday direct during the summer. We'll see how that all fits together with marriage and family though down the road!

[CAMPFRIEND]

Family makes it hard to stick with camp. Good luck!

[Dave]

I'm not going to be sticking with camp after college, unfortunately. It'll be hard to let go. But I'm thinking about becoming a pediatrician when I'm older. I'll get to work with kids year round! :D

[CAMPFRIEND]

I am not sure if I could give a kid shots! It's bad enough when they cry from a cut or bug bite! Good luck to you Dave..

[Dave]

I am not sure if I could give a kid shots! It's bad enough when they cry from a cut or bug bite! Good luck to you Dave..
Thanks. Hopefully my camp experience will be able to ease those types of problems (crying and being afraid).

[CAMPFRIEND]

After working at camp, I think that you can do what ever job you put you hart and mind to. As I think about it I have giving kids all kind of shots at camp. I guess I could be a doctor. Wait never mind. that would mean back to school.. I like being a camp director!

[speedx5xracer]

I wish i could do camping as a career but most likely not. Im majoring in enviromental policy so i might be able to get a job working for camps as an enviromental consultant. Im still looking into a possible career in forensics or possibly law school to be an enviromental lawyer so i have no clue how much longer i can stay at camp but all I know is I will always spend some time during my summers for years to come at my same camp in some way.

[Indigo]

I wasn't too sure if I would be able to keep going back to camp, but now I'm planning to go to grad school and get a teaching certificate and a master's degree in secondary ed. to teach high school English, so I'll be going to camp for as long as I want! And then when I feel like I've done all I can at camp, I'll still have my summers free to go on interesting vacations.

[martha27]

i wouldn't know where to begin when it comes to looking at the possibility of working at camp year round.....it's a dream! visa's a hard to come by!! but having said that the job i do is very sinilar to the work i did at camp...i live in and work at a boarding school :)

[CAMPFRIEND]

i wouldn't know where to begin when it comes to looking at the possibility of working at camp year round.....it's a dream! visa's a hard to come by!! but having said that the job i do is very sinilar to the work i did at camp...i live in and work at a boarding school :)

I know that some bigger camps do long tearm internship and that comes with a 18 month work visa. After the 18 months the camp can help you re-apply if you are doing a good job. At my old camp we had someone like that who worked for us for 4 years!!

[martha27]

it's something i aspire to ;)

[rockinsmiles]

I have no idea what i plan on doing after college...it seems so far in the future. which i know its not. anyways i plan on continuing to go to camp for quite a few more years. ill just have to see if it becomes my full time job or not!

[Flower]

I'm graduating in less than a month. Eek! I don't plan to have camp as a full time carreer at any point. I will hopefully be getting a job as an elementary school teacher for next fall and be subbing in the meantime. I really don't know if I'll be able to go back to camp this summer, which is really hard, but I hope to be back at least next year. It just doesn't feel right to look towards a summer and not have it have camp in it.

[crbtigger]

Well, I guess I have to say that I do have a full time career in camp. I work for Girl Scouts as the Outdoor Program Specialist, so I do outdoors stuff year round and I work at camp during the summer. It is great to get paid to do something you love.

[Skater Bubbles]

I am getting my teaching degree so hopefully for awhile during the summers I can work at camps, Yes!!

[CAMPFRIEND]

It's so great to see how many of you would love to stay with camping. Good luck to all of you in the future!

[ocean]

I would really want to make camp as my career. What would I need to study in college, seeing as I start next year so, I am really looking in to what classes to take. Any ideas? thanks

[crbtigger]

At Texas Tech they have a major called natural history and humanities, and most of the people that are in that major are employeed by the "Outdoor Pursuits Center" which is a part of the Student Rec Center.
Their job is right now is camping type stuff and nature. They take other students on trips canoeing, rockclimbing and lots of other things.
This summer for one of their classes they went on a 2 week canoe trip to the boundary waters in minnisota. I don't really know a whole lot about the major since it is relatively new, but you could look it up i bet!

[rockinsmiles]

Wow that sounds really fun...i wonder if they have any majore like that in colleges close by...worth checking out!

[Fleur]

Right now, I'm not looking into going into camping full time. I'm graduating this year, but I'm applying for a 1 year teacher training program, so hopefully that's where I'll be next year. Not sure if I'll be sticking with camp once I'm teaching.

Someday though I would like to start up an art camp similar to the one I went to as a kid. We had such a great community there, and it was sad when it got completely redesigned when the new directors took over. But starting something on that scale is not something I'd be ready to tackle for a while.

[Rainbow]

Well this is my 5th semester at community college and and if I pass the remedial math class I am taking now and then the last remedial math and then take college algebra next fall. I will finally graduate will my AA in liberal arts and then transfer to Kean University to major in Recreation Administration with a concentration in community Recreation. I want to work for Girl Scouts or other youth non profit org some day full time. Not sure if that means camp at this point in my life.

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think that there a lot of different majors in college that relate to the camping field. There are Rec and other programs that camps look for. I know a lot of directors who have their degree in teaching. I have a degree in social work. I think just about anything that you can pick in college can fit into camping someway!

[code3cadet]

I would love to work at a camp all year round. but I think being a nanny will be better

[Skater Bubbles]

Code3- Is the family you nanny for a family from a camper at your camp?

[code3cadet]

Code3- Is the family you nanny for a family from a camper at your camp?

No They did ask me to be one but I did not want to do it for that kid. I got this job off of a on-line nanny site www.gonannies.com

[who_stole_my_loofa]

I'm considering a career in camping. I would like to be a PR director for a sleepaway camp. If not a camp than like the Jewish Federation or some non-profit organization. I love making presentations and like brochures and speaking to people... and camp lol.

Loofa

[CAMPFRIEND]

I'm considering a career in camping. I would like to be a PR director for a sleepaway camp. If not a camp than like the Jewish Federation or some non-profit organization. I love making presentations and like brochures and speaking to people... and camp lol.

Loofa

I love doing this as well. Nothing like get parents to want to send their child to your camp. Good luck to you!

[code3cadet]

I'm considering a career in camping. I would like to be a PR director for a sleepaway camp. If not a camp than like the Jewish Federation or some non-profit organization. I love making presentations and like brochures and speaking to people... and camp lol.

Loofa
That would be fun to do.

[camper]

that's why i give tours at camp! its great trying to make the kids and parents love your camp as much as you do!

[EchoLaker]

I know that some bigger camps do long tearm internship and that comes with a 18 month work visa. After the 18 months the camp can help you re-apply if you are doing a good job. At my old camp we had someone like that who worked for us for 4 years!!


Any particular examples of such a camp ?! Or is this just something you have to enquiry speculatively about rather than it being formally advertised ?

[ocean]

I've been thinking about going into Recreation Administration when I start college next year, anybody have any ideas of what types of classes to take?

[CAMPFRIEND]

Any particular examples of such a camp ?! Or is this just something you have to enquiry speculatively about rather than it being formally advertised ?

I know that CCUSA has a program with an 18 month visa. I think that you would need to check with your camp. I will lokk into it and give an update if I find more information!

[EchoLaker]

I know that CCUSA has a program with an 18 month visa. I think that you would need to check with your camp. I will lokk into it and give an update if I find more information!


I've done a little bit of reading, and there is the "Practical Training USA" scheme ran by CCUSA; and although this wouldn't allow you be a counselor on a camp, there is definately scope to integrate a management level position (whether human resources, office manager, accountant) during the summer at Camp, into the Training Scheme that you'd have with the camp winter offices during the off-season.

It's only a 12 month J-1 Visa though, so would only have 1 summer season involved in it - but what an interesting prospect.

How do you even approach a director with such a proposal ?!

[CAMPFRIEND]

I know that I would just talk to them about it. I think that you should tell them that it's somthing that intrestes you and was wondering if they would think about helping you out with it. I know for big camps it's great to have people who are year round and that are good staff. I think Do you know what you camp is doing in the off-season? I think that most directors are open to talking about anything with their staff!! I will try to PM you with more information!

[camper]

my mom said that she didn't think that CCUSA did the 18 month program anymore since 9/11 b/c it's harder to get the visas but they might still do the 12 month one. that is just what she thought but she's probably wrong lol.