Conservation and Outdoor Job Boards: A Guide for Young Adults
Introduction
This guide is crafted for young adults eager to explore careers in conservation and the outdoors. It provides an overview of various job boards that offer internships, full-time positions, and seasonal work opportunities tailored to your interests in the environmental and outdoor sectors. Each platform is summarized with its pros and cons, helping you quickly find the resources that align with your career aspirations. Whether you're just beginning your journey or looking to gain more experience, this guide will help you navigate the path to your next opportunity.
1. Conservation Job Board
It’s at the top of the list for a reason. You will find everything from internships to full-time positions on this site. It’s simple, easy to navigate, and has great searchability. They’ve also recently launched an add-on, CJB Network, to advertise environmental/outdoor graduate program positions.
Pros:
User-friendly with great searchability and filters
Job categories include wildlife, fisheries, environmental education, conservation corps, federal listings, administration, natural resources, and more
Includes some international positions
Allows users to sign up for email notifications
Cons:
Rarely includes industries like energy, sustainable development, or environmental planning
Job posting are sometimes outdated and already closed
Doesn’t always include the full job description – job seekers must go to the original job page for more information
2. Texas A&M - Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science Job Board
This job board includes positions in the science and research sectors. You can search for seasonal, full-time, internship, volunteer, and fellowship positions. It also includes plenty of higher education job postings if you’re interested in becoming a professor, research assistant, or looking for graduate program openings.
Pros:
Wide vertical range of job opportunities from internships to college professors and Executive Directors
Reliable list of science and GIS jobs
Webpage is easy to navigate
Cons:
Infrequent job opportunities outside of sciences
Cannot filter by location or various sectors
No email subscription service so you have to check the job board frequently
3. The Corps Network
This is the spot to be if you want to work for a conservation corps! A conservation corps is an organization that involves young adults and veterans in service projects that help protect and manage natural resources and serve communities. Corps work is an amazing way to get started in this industry!
Pros:
Most conservation corps are under the AmeriCorps umbrella (which is a great resume builder and provides an education stipend ($$) when your service is complete)
User-friendly webpage that allows for location-based searches
Very niche
Great for entry-level candidates
Cons:
AmeriCorps positions pay low living stipends which excludes many applicants
Primarily seasonal jobs
Very few staff and full-time positions
4. Camber Outdoors
Camber Outdoors is a great place to find positions with outdoor gear brands, recreation organizations, and action sports companies. These positions are frequently behind-the-scenes (ie. marketing, product design, copywriting) and may not get you outdoors, but working within the outdoor industry as a whole.
Pros:
Large variety of outdoor brand positions
Decent searchability and user design
Cons:
Many outdated job listings
5. The In Solidarity Project Job Board
As stated on their website, The In Solidarity Project “brings the outdoor industry together to create a more inclusive future.” This team walks the walk and talks the talk. They are a great resource to follow for outdoor industry equity and inclusion work. Most jobs on this site are with brands and nonprofits that are committed to diversifying the outdoors.
Pros:
Candidates can create specific job alerts
Unique opportunities (I have discovered jobs on this page that I haven’t seen anywhere else!)
Variety of outdoor industry and environmentally-focused positions
Cons:
Smaller network of opportunities (typically only a few dozen at a time)
6. Cool Works
Cool Works is a seasonal-only job board and includes positions across the USA in “great places.” You’ll find jobs in ranching and farming, summer camps and education, outdoor recreation, and hospitality jobs in National Parks.
Pros:
Seasonal work is a great way to get started in this industry
Allows you to live and work in amazing locations across the US (very traveler-friendly)
User-friendly platform with great filters and searchability
Cons:
Only seasonal work
Rare to find government positions
Contact
Name: Emma Ussat (she/her)
Title: Senior Community Engagement Manager
Organization: SCMTS
Cell: (530) 990-0837
Email: [email protected]
