National Park Service

Historical Weapons Lead Intern

June 2017 • Gulf Breeze, FL

What I liked

I was in charge of four interns and assisted park rangers in the training of said interns in the operation and care of 19th century small arms and artillery weaponry. We fired both musket and cannon for interpretative programs to teach about the stories of Civil War soldier on Pensacola Bay and the important role they played.

What I wish was different

We had one intern who was not a team player due to the physical demands of the job and did not put in the same effort as the other interns and myself; then she left a month early before her internship ended.

Advice

I would not recommend wearing a Civil War union wool uniform in the direct sun during the hottest part of the summer unless you want the sensation of being slow cooked.

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Cartographer Technician Trainee

July 2017 • Lincoln, NE

What I liked

I like the open office environment of NPS. It is relaxed and inviting. Everyone I work with is at the top of their respective fields. Many years of experience here

What I wish was different

I was told in the application and interview process that I would be doing something different than I ended up doing. I was supposed to be doing mostly GIS specific work. I am more or less doing media content creation instead, using Photoshop and Illustrator more than I use ArcGIS

Advice

Everyday will be different and be prepared to learn skills that you didn't know you would immediately use.

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Invasive Plant Intern

May - August 2017 • Empire, MI

What I liked

The amount of experience I got was phenomenal. The Park Service does a great job of giving interns every opportunity to learn that they can. The work environment, and not just the gorgeous landscape, was absolutely amazing; I couldn't have asked for better coworkers and housemates. Plus, that whole section of Michigan is amazing and there is always something to do outside of work!

What I wish was different

I wish I would've gotten a little bit more information on what my job actually entailed before going into the internship. It was a lot of very physically demanding labor - which was fine - I was just expecting a lot more research based and surveying work.

Advice

My advice would be to take every opportunity you can to explore all of the departments of the park that you are interested in. As long as you talk to your supervisors, they will be more than happy to get you all of the experiences you want out of the internship. My one regret is never going out with the Plover crew!

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