Many people spend some of their leisure time participating in organized recreation ranging from aerobics or crafts to hiking or softball. Recreation programs as diverse as the people they serve are offered at local playgrounds and recreation areas, parks, community centers, health clubs, churches and synagogues, camps, theme parks and tourist attractions, correctional institutions, and a variety of other places. Recreation workers plan, organize, and direct the activities these places offer.
Recreation workers organize and lead programs and watch over recreational facilities and equipment. They help people to pursue their interest in crafts, art, or sports. They enable people to share common interests in basketball, basket weaving, or body building for their mutual entertainment, physical fitness, and self-improvement. Recreation workers organize teams and leagues so young people and adults can practice fair play and good sportsmanship through competitive sports. They also teach people the correct use of equipment and facilities so maximum benefit can be derived from their use without injury.
Recreation workers at workplaces organize and direct leisure activities and athletic programs for employees and their families, such as bowling and softball leagues, social functions, travel programs, discount services, and, to an increasing extent, exercise and fitness programs. These activities are generally for adults.
Camp counselors lead and instruct child and teenage campers in outdoor-oriented forms of recreation, such as swimming, hiking, and horseback riding as well as camping. Activities often are intended to enhance campers' appreciation of nature and responsible use of the environment. In addition, counselors provide campers with specialized instruction in activities such as archery, boating, music, drama, gymnastics, tennis, or computers. In resident camps, counselors also provide guidance and supervise daily living tasks and general socialization.
Recreation workers occupy a variety of positions at different levels of responsibility. Recreation leaders are responsible for a recreation program's daily operation and organize and direct participants. They may lead and give instruction in dance, drama, crafts, games, and sports; schedule use of facilities and keep records of equipment use; and monitor the use of recreation facilities and equipment to make sure they are used properly. Workers who provide instruction in specialties such as art, music, drama, swimming, or tennis may be called activity specialists. They often conduct classes and coach teams in the activity in which they specialize.
Recreation supervisors plan programs to meet the needs of the population they serve and supervise recreation leaders and activity specialists, sometimes over a large region. They may also direct specialized activities and special events. A growing number of supervisors are using computers in their work.
In a related occupation, recreational therapists who help individuals recover or adjust to illness, disability, or specific social problems; this occupation is described elsewhere in the Handbook.
Recreation workers who work at pools conduct swimming and exercise classes.
Recreation workers must work while others engage in leisure time activities. While the majority of recreation workers worked about 40 hours a week, people entering this field should expect some night work, weekend work, and irregular hours. About one-fifth worked part time. Also, many jobs are seasonal. The work setting for recreation workers may be anywhere from a vacation cruise ship to a woodland recreational park. Recreation workers often spend much of their time outdoors and may work under a variety of weather conditions. Recreation supervisors may spend most of their time in an office. Since full-time recreation workers spend more time acting as managers than hands-on activities leaders, they engage in less physical activity. However, as is the case for anyone engaged in physical activity, recreation workers risk injuries, and the work can be physically tiring.
Recreation workers held about 204,000 jobs in 1992, and many additional workers held summer jobs in the occupation. Of those who held full-time jobs as recreation workers, about half worked for government agencies, primarily in park and recreation departments at the municipal and county levels. About 15 percent worked in membership organizations with a civic, social, fraternal, or religious orientation the Boy Scouts, the YWCA, and Red Cross, for example. Another 12 percent were in programs run by social service organizations (senior centers and adult daycare programs, for example) or in residential care facilities such as halfway houses, group homes, and institutions for delinquent youth. An additional 10 percent worked for nursing and other personal care facilities.
Other employers included commercial recreation establishments, amusement parks, sports and entertainment centers, wilderness and survival enterprises, tourist attractions, vacation excursion companies, hotels and resorts, summer camps, health and athletic clubs, and apartment complexes.
The recreation field has an unusually large number of part-time, seasonal, and volunteer jobs. These jobs include summer camp counselors, lifeguards, craft specialists, and after-school and weekend recreation program leaders. Teachers and college students take many jobs as recreation workers when school is not in session.
Many unpaid volunteers assist paid recreation workers. The vast majority of volunteers serve as activity leaders at local day-camp programs, or in youth organizations, camps, nursing homes, hospitals, senior centers, YMCA's, and other settings. Some volunteers serve on local park and recreation boards and commissions. Volunteer experience, part-time work during school, or a summer job may lead to a full-time job.
Education needed for recreation worker jobs ranges from a high school diploma, or sometimes less, for many summer jobs to graduate education for some administrative positions in large public systems. Full-time career professional positions usually require a college degree with a major in parks and recreation or leisure studies, but a bachelor's degree in any liberal arts field may be sufficient for some jobs in the private sector. In industrial recreation, or employee services as it is more commonly called, companies prefer to hire persons with a bachelor's degree in recreation or leisure studies and a strong background in business administration.
A background with specialized training or experience in a particular field, such as art, music, drama, or athletics is an asset for many jobs. Some jobs also require a special certificate, such as a lifesaving certificate when there are water related activities. Graduates of associate degree programs in parks and recreation, social work, and other human services disciplines also enter some career recreation positions. Occasionally high school graduates are able to enter career positions, but this is not common. Some college students work part time as recreation workers while earning degrees.
Persons with academic preparation in parks and recreation, leisure studies, physical education, fitness management, and related fields generally have better prospects for career advancement, although this varies from one employer to another. In some organizations, it is possible to reach the top of the career ladder without a college education, but this is becoming increasingly difficult.
A bachelor's degree and experience are preferred for most recreation supervisor jobs and required for most higher level administrator jobs. However, increasing numbers of recreation workers who aspire to administrator positions are obtaining master's degrees in parks and recreation or related disciplines. Also, many persons in other disciplines, including social work, forestry, and resource management, pursue graduate degrees in recreation.
Programs leading to an associate or bachelor's degree in parks and recreation, leisure studies, or related fields are offered at about 350 colleges and universities. Many also offer master's or doctoral degrees in this field.
In 1993, 90 bachelor's degree programs in parks and recreation were accredited by the Council on Accreditation, sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) in cooperation with the American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR). Accredited programs provide broad exposure to the history, theory, and philosophy of park and recreation management. Courses offered include community organization; supervision and administration; recreational needs of special populations such as older adults or the disabled; and supervised fieldwork. Students may specialize in areas such as therapeutic recreation, park management, outdoor recreation, industrial or commercial recreation, and camp management.
The American Camping Association has developed a curriculum for camp director education. Many national youth associations offer training courses for camp directors at the local and regional levels.
Persons planning recreation careers should be outgoing, good at motivating people, and sensitive to the needs of others. Good health and physical fitness are required. Activity planning calls for creativity and resourcefulness. Willingness to accept responsibility and the ability to exercise good judgment are important qualities since recreation personnel often work without close supervision. Part-time or summer recreation work experience while in high school or college may help students decide whether their interests really point to a human services career. Such experience also may increase their leadership skills and understanding of people.
Individuals contemplating careers in recreation at the supervisory or administrative level should develop managerial skills. College courses in management, business administration, accounting, and personnel management are likely to be useful.
Certification for this field is offered by the NRPA National Certification Board and the American Camping Association. The National Recreation and Parks Association, along with its State chapters, offers certification as a Certified Leisure Professional (CLP) for those with a college degree in recreation, and as a Certified Leisure Technician (CLT) for those with less than 4 years of college. The American Camping Association offers a certification program for camp directors. Continuing education is necessary to remain certified in either field.
Certification is not usually required for employment or advancement in this field, but it is an asset. Employers choosing among qualified job applicants may opt to hire the person with a demonstrated record of professional achievement represented by certification.
Overall job growth in local government where half of all recreation workers are employed is expected to be slow due to budget constraints, and local park and recreation departments are expected to do less hiring for permanent, full-time positions than in the past. As a result, this sector's share of recreation worker employment will shrink by the end of the century. Nonetheless, opportunities will vary widely by region, since resources as well as priorities for public services differ from one community to another. Thus, hiring prospects for recreation workers will be much better in some park and recreation departments than overall projections would suggest, but worse in others.
Recreation worker jobs should also increase in the fast-growing social services industry. More recreation workers will be needed to develop and lead activity programs in senior centers, halfway houses, children's homes, and daycare programs for the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled.
Recreation worker jobs in employee services and recreation will continue to increase as more businesses recognize the benefits to their employees of recreation programs and other services such as wellness programs and elder care. Job growth will also occur in the commercial recreation industry, composed of amusement parks, athletic clubs, camps, sports clinics, and swimming pools.
Full-time career jobseekers will face keen competition. All college graduates can enter recreation worker jobs, regardless of major, as well as some high school and junior college graduates, so applications for career positions in recreation often greatly exceed the number of job openings. Opportunities for staff positions should be best for persons with job experience gained in part-time or seasonal recreation jobs, together with formal recreation training. Those with graduate degrees should have the best opportunities for supervisory or administrative positions.
Prospects are much better for the very large number of temporary seasonal jobs. Demand for seasonal recreation workers is great, and job opportunities should be good. These positions, typically filled by high school or college students, do not generally have formal education requirements and are open to anyone with the desired personal qualities. Employers compete for a share of the vacationing student labor force, and while salaries in recreation are often lower than those in other fields, the Nature of the Work and the opportunity to work outdoors is nevertheless attractive to many. Seasonal employment prospects should be very good for applicants with specialized training and certification in an activity like swimming. These workers may obtain jobs as program directors.
Median annual earnings of recreation workers who worked full time in 1992 were about $14,900. The middle 50 percent earned between about $10,700 and $19,900. The lowest 10 percent earned about $7,700 or less, while the top 10 percent earned about $27,200 or more. However, earnings of recreation directors and others in supervisory or managerial positions can be much higher anywhere from $22,000 to $95,000, depending on the level of responsibility and the size of the staff.
Most public and private recreation agencies provide full-time recreation workers with vacation and other benefits such as paid vacation and sick leave and health insurance. Part-time workers receive few, if any, benefits.
Recreation workers must exhibit leadership and sensitivity in dealing with people. Other occupations that require similar personal qualities include recreational therapists, social workers, parole officers, human relations counselors, school counselors, clinical and counseling psychologists, and teachers.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor