Internships open multiple career paths, panelists say
Summary
Panelists at the National Park Week event described how internships can lead to park careers, teaching, firefighting, and other professions, and urged attendees to try diverse tasks and seek cross‑training opportunities.
Speakers described internships and corps positions as broad career accelerators rather than narrow job slots. Logan Raybuck, a TTAP intern, said routine projects like bench repair, headstone cleaning and lightning protection can have outsized long-term benefits: "That bench will last another 50 years." Panelists described that hands-on exposure often leads interns into interpretation, historic preservation, facility work or related careers such as teaching and firefighting.
Frank Barrows emphasized partnerships and networking as tools to expand opportunity pipelines: "Partnership 1 0 1 is finding those mutually beneficial opportunities, leaning into the strengths of each partner," he said. Panelists recommended that prospective applicants try varied tasks, use partner networks, and check hiring windows (seasonal cycles) to find both paid and volunteer routes into parks.
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