Requirements to become an outdoor educator

0:00So through my topsy-turvy journey to get to where I am now, I wound up with a bachelor's in physical geography as well as a bachelors in kinesiology with a focus into outdoor education. A lot of colleges and universities at all different levels are offering degrees in outdoor education, and I would not say that it's 100% necessary for employment in this field, and the advice that I would give to somebody who's considering that type of major is to think about your salary starting out and to really think about whether or not you're gonna those student loans worthwhile making $15,000 a year until you move into some other type of position.

0:50The advantages of pursuing certification or an actual four year, two year degree in outdoor education is that you have a standardized resume. I can look at your resume and say like, "Oh, you have this certification from this company." "I know exactly what you were taught" "and exactly what you know."

1:13whereas, if you come to the employer, just saying I've climbed this and this and this, and I've been climbing for this long, it's a little harder for me to qualify what that actually means without having an interview with you. So certifications do help standardize when you're looking at applying for jobs, but they can be kind of expensive, and that to me is the big advantage of being an active member of a college outdoor club or pursuing a college degree in outdoor ed is that it gives you what we call the industry safety standards at a pretty reasonable price, As long as you're coupling it with another college degree, you're really getting a lot of bang for your buck.

1:59Certifications through third party groups like The American Mountain Guides Association is a really big one. They can be really amazing, because they qualify you for employment across the world, and they're kind of the decision-makers in terms of what the industry standard of safety is for the whole industry.

2:22They can be a little bit spendy, and they do also ask that you have a certain level of personal experience going into those programs to begin with. So again, you're back to how do you get personal experience safely? Your college is a great opportunity for that.

2:40One certification that everyone considering employment in the outdoor industry should pursue is a wilderness first responder. It's a medical certification, and it's going to be required on every company you ever look for. A lot of companies might help you get it.

2:58They might help you pay for it, or they might provide it as part of their training, but that's a really important certification to hold. Other certifications like single pitch rock climbing instructor, maybe swift water rescue, those types of certifications will be indicated by the company if they're required.

3:18Employers in the outdoor industry are looking for people who are incredibly passionate and excited, and able to share that passion with others. So a background in either formal education or just experience in education is really, really helpful because you need to be on your game as an educator and able to work with very minimal resources at the drop of a hat.

3:45We also really love people that are excited about learning, and don't feel like they already have all the skills they need. They don't need to get better, or they don't need to learn more. You need to be willing to learn and grow, because you'll learn a lot about yourself in this industry.

4:05Every time I go out on course, it's like someone's holding up a mirror to myself and showing me areas either personally or professionally that I still can grow in.