Recreation Workers

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Human Geography
Secondary Topic: Places and Regions

Overview:  Recreation workers plan and lead several different programs for a wide variety of ages, and typically work at summer camps, nursing homes, and parks. They can work as camp counselors, activity specialists, or recreation leaders that lead activities from fitness and sports, arts and crafts, and kayaking or other outdoor aquatics.

Geographic knowledge such as human and cultural geography would benefit recreation workers in any settings to understand the potentially many different backgrounds and ages they might be working with. Recreation workers working in nature-based programs and camps would gain useful knowledge from environmental geography and regional specific courses to aid in helping them understand the locations where they work on a deeper and more thoughtful level.

Geographers at work: Geography educators, human geographers, cultural geographers, environmental geographers

Recommended College Courses:  Interpretive Environmental Geography, Fundamental Themes in Geography, Introduction to Cultural Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, Environmental Geography, Regional Specific Geography (US & Canada, Geography of the Southwest, Europe, Latin America, etc.), location analysis

Skills: Interpretive geography, human and cultural geography, communication, problem solving, social geography

Occupation Group: Personal Care and Service

Learn more about Recreation Workers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/recreation-workers.htm#tab-2