If you can't stand to be "boxed in" by a job that forces you to spend your days in an office, and you dream of a career which allows you to work in the great outdoors, then there are a variety of outdoor career fields that will allow you to do just that.

And not just construction or landscaping work. There are dozens of outdoor careers available in biology, forestry, land management, geology, mining, botany, ranching, oceanography and many more. Jobs that help the planet. Jobs that make a difference.

Thousands of people just like you have turned their "natural" instincts into rewarding careers that they find both exciting and extremely rewarding. After all, who hasn't stared out the window of a drab office building on a bright sunny day and wished that they could make a living out there, in the scenic beauty of our natural world.

Every day men and women go to work in national parks, forests, oceans, ranches, and other natural areas. And you could too. Unfortunately, many of us are taught in high school and even college that you need to get a "serious" career in medicine or law to make good money and be fulfilled in life.

But with today's emphasis on the environment and clean renewable energy, there are plenty of high-paying outdoor careers and other jobs that don't require working inside a building forty hours per week. Geoscientists who study natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes, for example. Or pollution control technicians who monitor industry's compliance with government pollution regulations.

There are over 1300 nature preserves in the US alone, and many thousands more around the world. Each of these areas need managers, land stewards, park rangers, botanists, tour guides, animal rehabilitators, forest technicians and more.

The federal government also offers a wide range of career opportunities for working outdoors. State, county, and municipal government agencies also offer jobs in these areas. More and more, corporations in the US and around the world have departments that are singularly devoted to analyzing and studying the organization's compliance with environmental regulations.

Some of these jobs require a high degree of education, and a post-graduate degree, while others do not. If you want to become a marine biologist, for example, you'll typically need a master's degree just to secure an entry level position in this challenging field. But if you want to work as a park ranger, on the other hand, you might get your foot in the door with just a high school diploma or GED.

And most people who work in these vital jobs are there for more than a paycheck. Most of them realize that the earth we live on is a precious resource, and the natural beauty they've grown to love may not be there for their children and grandchildren. Mankind is changing the planet at an alarming rate, from global warming to vanishing rain forests to oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico.

Only man has the power to change -- or even reverse -- the damage that has been done to the environment if everyone will pull together and work everyday to help protect the natural resources we have left. If you're up to the challenge, you might just find an outdoor career that you find exciting and extremely rewarding for years or decades to come.

Outdoor Careers

• Career with the US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Career as a Photographer
• Career as a News Reporter

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