Outdoor Recreation in the university/college setting

Does anyone on here come from an Outdoor Recreation background from a collegiate or university setting? If so, what was your experience like and what did you find that helped you grow as a person or from a leadership standpoint? 

are you asking if I went outside while I was also a university student?

Going to college/university and getting a real degree while participating in outdoor recreation opportunities will help you grow in leadership and as a person and solidify your future. 

“Studies show” that going to a college/university and trying to combine the two will waste your time and money, stunt your growth, grow hair on your palms, and lead to a living in a van.  

I’m asking from someone who is currently working as a coordinator for an outdoor recreation program what intangibles are gained from participating in outdoor recreation as a student worker or as someone who went on a trip or was involved in some way. 

Unless you are paid, or receive merchandise, you will get nothing tangible.

Intangibles, though, there are many — mostly experiential to group management, budgeting, and the experiences you had while on your trips. 

Aaron, if this helps. 

I was a trip leader for 3 years at Grand Canyon University's outdoor recreation program before I graduated. If you're not familiar, GCU's program is amazing, offering over 100 trips around the southwest each school year guided completely by undergrad trip leaders. It was the most beneficial thing I did in college - more so than my marketing degree, which I have yet to use. I'm still benefiting from the connections I've made in the outdoor industry. It's helped my land a handful of great guiding jobs around the southwest. I learned leadership skills in managing groups of peers. I learned how to work well with third party vendors for outfitting, rentals, travel services, etc. I learned how to work well with the USFS and other land management organizations to not only obtain special use permits, but to dissect them to ensure I understand the scope of the permit in and out. I learned how to budget efficiently for groups of people that I've never met and for trips I hadn't ever been on. I learned how to adapt to a busy class schedule, work schedule, while adding ~12 guided trips each semester. I also learned a LOT about adapting to the random bullshit that the world throws at you, and how to roll with the punches and continue to lead well. I'm now really good at laughing off the random stresses and clusters that come with life. I ultimately learned that with higher leadership roles, you assume more responsibility for others. Any area that you fall short will have effects on the people you are leading, whether they realize it or not (fortunately, many errors go unnoticed by participants/clients lol). With that, I also learned to lean into my support guides and create chemistry within a team. This applies to any job you may have, hobby, and even parenting someday! 

If done right, I think working as a trip leader for your outdoor program can build a ridiculously solid framework for maturity during/after college, and it helps work out your previously unseen twists and kinks before entering the "scary real world!" 

Hope that's what you're looking for!

Best,

P.S: Tangibles? We got a cool staff jackets each year, that's about it:)

I worked for the Outdoor Recreation Center at the University of Texas for a few years in college. It was fun, mostly worked at the new (at the time) climbing wall and in the rental center. Spent a lot of time washing gross sleeping bags and tents and other abused rental equipment. I did occasionally get to be an assistant guide on various outings, including climbing, caving, kayaking, etc. That was fun but I quickly realized I had no interest in being a guide. (particularly solidified after I had to wait with a girl who was a little too big to get through the "birth canal" of Whirlpool Cave... rest of the group went on and I sat there awkwardly and listened to her cry in the dark until the group came back... quite the experience!)

It was fun, met some cool people, learned some things but don't think it produced any tangible personal growth. A dedicated program would probably be very different, but in the end I think there are probably better ways to get leadership experience and enjoy the outdoors.  But I'm sure it depends on the school and quality of the program too.

I hear you get to pick the music and set your own routes at the campus gym/wall.  

Matt Heinen wrote:

Aaron, if this helps. 

I was a trip leader for 3 years at Grand Canyon University's outdoor recreation program before I graduated. If you're not familiar, GCU's program is amazing, offering over 100 trips around the southwest each school year guided completely by undergrad trip leaders. It was the most beneficial thing I did in college - more so than my marketing degree, which I have yet to use. I'm still benefiting from the connections I've made in the outdoor industry. It's helped my land a handful of great guiding jobs around the southwest. I learned leadership skills in managing groups of peers. I learned how to work well with third party vendors for outfitting, rentals, travel services, etc. I learned how to work well with the USFS and other land management organizations to not only obtain special use permits, but to dissect them to ensure I understand the scope of the permit in and out. I learned how to budget efficiently for groups of people that I've never met and for trips I hadn't ever been on. I learned how to adapt to a busy class schedule, work schedule, while adding ~12 guided trips each semester. I also learned a LOT about adapting to the random bullshit that the world throws at you, and how to roll with the punches and continue to lead well. I'm now really good at laughing off the random stresses and clusters that come with life. I ultimately learned that with higher leadership roles, you assume more responsibility for others. Any area that you fall short will have effects on the people you are leading, whether they realize it or not (fortunately, many errors go unnoticed by participants/clients lol). With that, I also learned to lean into my support guides and create chemistry within a team. This applies to any job you may have, hobby, and even parenting someday! 

If done right, I think working as a trip leader for your outdoor program can build a ridiculously solid framework for maturity during/after college, and it helps work out your previously unseen twists and kinks before entering the "scary real world!" 

Hope that's what you're looking for!

Best,

P.S: Tangibles? We got a cool staff jackets each year, that's about it:)

Ha. I meant intangibles. But thank you for your response. 

I was involved in leadership roles at two different institutions in their Outdoor Clubs (Lehigh U and SUNY Binghamton) and enjoyed it immensely. Lehigh's program was completely student-run, and we had several trips every weekend throughout the semester varying from white water rafting, winter camping, skiing, and a lot of rock climbing. I started as just an "officer," or, someone who was in charge of orchestrating and leading the trips. I then became the VP of the club, and loved it. Being able to foster a safe and enjoyable learning environment for college students is awesome, and it gives you an opportunity to show others how much outdoor recreation has to offer! Binghamton's club is more low-key, but it is still a great group of people

I think that the common denominator in Outdoors Clubs is that you'll run into outdoors-inclined individuals that are happy to be there. I've made a lot of friends through OC. If you have the opportunity to be in a leadership role, I'd suggest giving it a try

I am currently running the program at the University of Missouri. Previous to that I was a trip leader/ climbing wall instructor in undergrad, then transitioned to running the program as a graduate student at the last university I attended and developing and implementing a climbing education program for a county parks district. I can echo many of things already mentioned above. Some of the most valuable things I have learned are how to manage a group effectively in the outdoors, design programming to reach a broad range of experience levels, and efficiently run/ build a program from the ground up. The experience has managed to get me to where I am today. I would say however that my own experiences and personal hours spent in the outdoors did a better job of preparing me for where I am today than the experiences I had as a student leader. Working in a collegiate outdoor recreation program is a great place to start building a framework like Matt said. Experiential learning, especially in the outdoors, is one of the best ways I have found to be confident in myself and to be decisive when it comes to managing people, faculties, and programs.

I never went through any degree programs that focused on outdoor recreation, so I cannot speak to the value of them. I have a degree in biology that I don't use and went into a master program for education to give me more marketable skills in the collegiate field. From my experience, there are more people working in the outdoors that got to where they are through taking certification courses like AMGA and ACA, while also building their professional resume through personal pursuits and other experience. As for tangibles, I got some free polos from my new job and a nice backpack.

Hopefully this helps!

Aaron Clifton wrote:

Does anyone on here come from an Outdoor Recreation background from a collegiate or university setting? If so, what was your experience like and what did you find that helped you grow as a person or from a leadership standpoint? 

I have an outdoor rec degree and teach as a profession, but am confused by your question. I guess, in my experience, gaining confidence in what you are leading and/or experience are the two best way for me personally. I am also one of those people that agrees with that stance that some people are born as leaders and some are not. 

Hey everyone thank you for all your responses! Sorry if my phrasing of my question or questions was not very clear.

As an outdoor recreational professional working in a collegiate setting, I am curious to see what kind of impact participating as a student worker for a outdoor recreation program has on a students well-being while working for a program and after they move on.

I was fortunate to work for an outdoor program as an undergraduate student and it impacted me tremendously from; being led with quality leadership, given the chance to participate in a lot of outdoor pursuits, and building my skills as a climber (inside and outside). It was a great opportunity. So aside from me, I was curious what everyone else’s thoughts were.

My greatest satisfaction in leading tons of trips as a faculty advisor was in the team-building that usually occurred within the caving kids.  We would always start with small caves and build from there, the "veterans" coaching the new kids -- until we had a solid cohort of 5 or 6 for a weekend trip to a big, adventurous WV cave.  The climbing kids never really came together in the same way.

Not sure about the impact on student well-being.  A good friend worked in counseling and assured me that the outing club stuff was a net positive, so I took it as a matter of faith that the work was good for the students and the college.

I never worked for the outdoor program, but I was a volunteer routesetter at the BSU climbing gym. The gym is housed in the outdoor center, as is the program. 

Part of the point of college is being exposed to things you would never consider yourself. And, that tough, scary, transition to being yourself, whoever the hell that might be.

I saw a whole lot of never climbed at all climbers trying out the gym as part of orientation. That was the tour, tie in and try, not just "here's our gym".

One time, a couple girls were hanging back. Two sisters. One was very young, maybe a straight from high school 17ish, and very heavy. Clearly uncomfortable with the whole idea of doing anything at all physical.

The tour moved on, she had yet to try. 

As it happened, it was just a few of us ladies there.

We coaxed her into a harness. 

Coached her onto the wall.

She gave it a shot, to much encouragement, and went part way up.

When she reached the bottom, smiles cheers and hugs all around.

I asked her, "so how was it?"

Her reply?

"Not too bad for a first time" 

"Ah! So maybe a second time might happen?"

Shyly, but with a smile, "maybe!"

She is who I, as a highly unlikely looking climber, set routes for.

Dunno how it works on the management end, but it's always a sweet moment to see that "I can do this!" grin!

Best, Helen

My outdoor rec degree felt pointless. It felt like classes colin o'brady would take, they were all way watered down from real world stuff. Like we weren't even allowed to lead indoors or toprope outdoors. They also made this huge multi day expedition out of a hike that can be ran car to car in under 4 hours. I think I just had a bad program though and I was away a lot for sports. 

jake renfree wrote:

My outdoor rec degree felt pointless. It felt like classes colin o'brady would take, they were all way watered down from real world stuff. Like we weren't even allowed to lead indoors or toprope outdoors. They also made this huge multi day expedition out of a hike that can be ran car to car in under 4 hours. I think I just had a bad program though and I was away a lot for sports. 

That sounds like a poorly run program. I know several people who graduated from outdoor rec programs with a laundry list of certifications and experience in the outdoors leading everything from day hikes to week long backpacking trips. I think the biggest thing is finding a program the adequately prepares you for outdoor leadership.