Dan Fastenberg had written an article titled, 10 Worst-Paying College Majors that was
posted at aol.
I noticed that “Physical Fitness/ Parks Recreation” was
ranked # 3 on the list. It had a started salary of $30,000 with an unemployment
rate of 8.3 percent.
My undergraduate degree is in Park Resources and Leisure
Services with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation from Marshall University,
Huntington, West Virginia. I knew I wanted to work as a Recreational Therapist
in a clinical setting after graduation, which I have.
My professor in undergraduate school, Dr. Raymond Busbee
often suggested for undergrads to take lower paying entry level positions in
parks and recreation if this is the field they wanted to work in so they could
move up. Based on my memories, some undergraduate students had higher paying
part-time of full-time jobs that were not in parks and recreation. To the best
of my memory, Dr. Raymond Busbee argued that the more talented people in our
field often left for higher paying jobs in other fields (outside of Parks and
Recreation).
This gets to my big point.
People who work in human service professions (parks and
recreation services) to even (recreational therapy services) are often not
selecting professions to get rich. They are selecting professions that are
internally rewarding.
My father, Danny Pettry (senior), a retired elementary
school principal had talked to the school psychologist and the school counselor
about my thoughts about majoring in counseling or psychology (when I was in high school) during the late
90s. My father reported to me that these fields don’t pay a lot of money, which
had my father concerned. Naturally, he wanted me to major in something that
would have a higher financial payoff. My parents wanted me to major in nursing.
They felt certain there would always be a need for nurses and that medical
professions often pay a little more than other human service professions in
general.
I declared my major as nursing at the former Mountain State
University in Beckley, West Virginia. Students were required to do a 40-hour
volunteer/ observation of nurses (as one of the many requirements) in order to
be admitted into the program. I did my volunteer experience at a rehab hospital
in Huntington, West Virginia where my cousin worked as a Physical Therapist. I
discovered on the first day that I did not want to be a nurse. I knew I wanted
to help people, but wasn’t sure how I would do it. I discovered recreational
therapy (and Marci Osborn, Recreational Therapist) on my 2nd-day of this
one-week/ 40-hours of volunteer work. I asked her how I could become a RT and
she informed me of the degree program at Marshall University, so I switched
schools and majors and became a Recreational Therapist.
I’ve worked for a residential treatment program for children
(that is located inside of a psychiatric hospital) for the last 10-years. I
love what I do. I have a lot of passion for my work and feel very fortunate
that I found my job. I have had issues regarding salary in the past. I saw a
position for a manager at a Starbucks restaurant (when I first started working
as a RT) that advertised for a lot higher salary. I love coffee and considered
going, but I knew RT was more of a calling for me. I’ve also seen the highest
paying jobs in RT are posted by V.A. Hospitals and state or federal prisons. I’ve
seen several of my co-workers go for jobs in those settings to make more money.
I’ve stayed in my position because of my passion for the population that I
provide services for (children and adolescents) with various mental health
needs.
Based on my experiences, over the years, hard-work has paid
off in allowing me to get raises each year.
I’d also argue that a degree in Recreational Therapy
provides an individual with a unique set of skills that could be used in many
jobs as well. Take the first four steps in the standards of practice for recreational
therapists. These skills (along with many others that RTs are trained in) could
be applied to so many other careers that besides or RT, including: management, consulting,
training, and other types of careers:
a.)
Assess the situation to identify strengths and
areas of needed improvement.
b.)
Work with a person to develop goals and
objectives to promote strengths and to address areas of need.
c.)
Provide interventions to assist person in
meeting these goals and objectives
d.)
Evaluate the progress. Alter the plan if needed
to help person meet goals or to maintain them or discontinue plan if goals are
effectively met.
Here is the link for the worst-paying careers:
Parks and recreation is in the company of:
1.
Drama/ Theater
2.
Anthropology/ Archaeology
3.
Us: physical fitness/ parks recreation (and I’d
add Recreational Therapy)
4.
Fine arts
5.
Social work (and I’d add counseling and
recreational therapy along with this type of work).
6.
Philosophy/ Religious studies
7.
Psychology
8.
Liberal arts
9.
Film video and photographic arts.
10.
Music.
If you’re interested in the highest-paying jobs, you’ll
notice that nursing (what my parents wanted me to major in) is on that list,
including: computers, engineering, and
accounting.
Link for highest-paying jobs: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/05/29/top-10-highest-paying-college-majors/
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