clerk

senior maintenance specialist

wildlife rehabilitation technician

site superintendent

server

Texas-Parks-and-Wildlife-Department

Overall, I do not regret and I will always treasure my time served in state parks, I had some wonderful co-workers that cared very much about conserving our parks for our future generations. I learned a lot that allowed me to further advance my career. I enjoyed serving my community and meeting people from all over the world. 

It is too bad there is not proper funding for state parks to have enough staff and money to keep the parks in regular working order. They have high turnover and retention rates. The lengthy and competitive hiring and non-existent promotion process and low pay without even proper cost of living adjustments make most people leave quickly when they discover the "dream job" is actually not so perfect. 

They have no career path or ways to advance unless someone quits or retires and you have to apply for it just like anyone else. You can work really hard every single day and have stellar annual reviews and do the job of 3 or 4 people because you are always short-handed and will NEVER receive a raise in pay for it. The majority of staff employed at Austin Headquarters make noticeably higher pay for less responsibilities than field/park staff. We can see online what each job requires and the rate of pay. They also rank parks somehow so other people in the exact same job role/title in other parks doing less work or that have assistants or more staff are better compensated, yet the cost of living is higher in more places than others and generally makes no sense to not just be equal across the board. 

You must apply for each position to move up along with the other hundreds of people instead of being able to promote up because you absolutely worked very hard and you earned it. 

Be prepared to work every weekend and all holidays, and the park visitors/customers/campers are sometimes rude, disrespectful and downright mean and you must take it with a smile even if they are spitting and cussing at you.

You are given all kinds of time off (annual leave, sick leave, holiday leave etc...), yet you can never use it...if you do then other park staff get upset or make comments because honestly if you are away it truly is double the work to go around since nearly every park is always short handed and struggling to get things done. If you do use your sick leave, you need to get doctors notes every single time and if you are often sick, you best get on FMLA or you face being verbally warned, written up officially and then terminated or volun-told to resign for excessive absenteeism. I have seen that happen to co-workers who were aging and became sickly after having given many many years of service.

Under the direction of the Park Superintendent I managed and conducted environmental education programs for various groups both inside and outside the park for large, diverse groups of people. I maintained records and agency logs of all interpretive events to turn in to Austin every month. I developed and implemented many programs and curriculum for schools that followed TEKS guidelines, developed and implemented a merit badge program for boyscouts and girlscouts, developed and implemented a registration form and itinerary for school groups. I researched and developed an interpretive trail guide, park specific fish ID and bag limit signage, interpretive exhibits, FAQ books for visitors and staff, native plant ID booklet, and various other informative brochures. Acting as the  Resource Manager I led many projects which included maintaining, monitoring and coordinating the repair of historical CCC culverts, maintaining surveys of sensitive archeological sites, cultural monitoring of construction projects, coordinating staff in preparation and execution of public hunts, managing public hunts and assisting in the collection and maintenance of harvest data. Monitoring invasive aquatic and terrestrial species within the park, maintaining and monitoring reports of nuisance wildlife and assisting in the capture and removal of nuisance wildlife, capturing live specimens to conduct research for public programs and information, maintain and take care of wildlife including alligators, fish, aquatic and land turtles, snakes, orphaned or injured wildlife, monitoring human impacts on park and implementing programs to minimize impacts. I also put together many Project Review Requests to assess the natural and cultural impacts of park projects.

Currently employed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Coastal Fisheries Division. While employed I have participated in both the 2012 resource and harvest data collection programs that are located on San Antonio Bay near the city of Port O’ Connor, TX. My main duties consist of resource data collection which consists of operating multiple gears and boats to collect data in San Antonio Bay. The gears that I have become familiar with consist of bay trawls, gulf trawls, oyster dredge, gill nets, and bag seines. I also participate in the fish harvest data collection on San Antonio Bay. The program has allowed me to participate in many creel and rove surveys at many different locations found throughout the gulf coast that encompasses San Antonio Bay. I am also responsible for data editing and correction of the resource data and was assigned to summarize the resource data that was collected on 2012 Bag Seines, which consisted of monthly summarizing the data in order to have current and accurate data on selected species. I was also responsible for monthly maintenance reports on both boats and truck that were used at the Port O’ Connor Field Station. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Division has allowed me to gain multiple field techniques and a wide knowledge base of marine fisheries species found on the gulf coast.

I have worked temporary jobs with TPWD and have volunteered with them for years. I don't know about the other departments, but Inland and Coastal Fisheries are the most insanely competitive fields I have ever tried to get into. I have volunteered countless hours and tried to make it in (almost 10 interviews), to no avail. If you are wondering, yes, I was a good employee and received good ratings from my supervisors. 
Unless you are dead-set on obtaining a TPWD job and have tons of experience and connections, I wouldn't waste your time. 
As far as management goes, it can be hit or miss. Since it is so competitive, nobody leaves (and it's impossible to get fired), so you could be stuck with a great or terrible supervisor.
Also, temporary employees may not get the perks the permanent employees do, and the HR department is the worst I have ever heard of. 
If you do make it in, it can be a really fun and rewarding job.

Summary: if you can get in (have tons of prior experience) and know you'll have a good team to work with, go for it. 
If you love not hearing back from hiring managers after interviews even after driving 20+ hours for these interviews (this was not just one occasion), or volunteering with them personally, then apply. Just don't get surprised if you never hear a thing.

My day consist of checking on campers, hikers, horseback riders and making sure that the facalities are clean and presentable.
Trimming trails of low limbs and tall grass to keep it safe for horseback riders and hikers.
Help out with any incedints that might take place on trail to horse, dogs or human. That require first aid or help with the map to keep from becoming lost.

Mowing pastures to keep invasious plants from overtaken the natural grass.

I have the chance to take extra safety classes and attending safety conventions for the last 3 years.

learning to operate large pieces of equipment. Along with more computer skills and presentations.

I love working on the trails and the safety portion of my job. Coducting safety meetings and extra trainings.

Learing how to build new trails system to keep from having eriosion.

Have a great group of co-workers that all work well in a team when required.

Hardest part of my job is hiking trails in the hottest part of the day trimming and moving of rocks.

Most enjoyable part of my job keeping visitors safe and visiting with them being outside.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is a nice branch of the state to work for.  All of the staff and park host personnel I have had the privilege to work with are great.  During the spring and summer months there is a hustle with the flow of incoming people to enjoy our hike-and-bike trails, the picnicking, and fun in the lake and beach swim area.  Camping is always nice with the large sylvan setting of each camp site.  We even have our own herd of deer at the park that is seen quite often throughout the mornings and evenings.  This year the heard was up to 12 does and fawns.  We completed an amphitheater last year that is used for group gatherings, movie nights during the summer, weddings, you name it.  It is great for just about any occasion with its 100 seat capacity.  If you have never spent time at a state park, this should be one of your first stops.

If you work at State Parks you have to work weekends no ifs about it. Plenty of time off but you can't take it on holidays or busy days. You will not get raises. You will not get promoted. You have to fight for jobs at every level. They say there is a career ladder but I've never seen an internal promoted. Job security is a given. Basically, you can't get fired. It's such a long process that by the time it happens, the people affected by poor staff have left. Management depends on where you are located. People who have been in the system for years are just there for a check even though they get paid the most. Time off is nice but that's about it. Rack up the time and get a nice check when you quit. Benefits look nice, but when you research most cities offer better benefits and much better pay. 

Cleaning restrooms to prepare for visitors and campers.
mowing of trails and up keep of pastures.
Helping in and out the office with checking in customers.
on Weekends shift supervising the office clerks on the desk and preforming sign out and in of keys, money and other items for a day of work.
Keeping up on the vehicle logs, equipment logs, monthly safety meeting and sending off the Region HQ's each month.
Weedeating around buildings, campsites and few of the walking trails.
Lifting items over 50lbs. changing tires and checking fuilds in equipment.
Daily paper worked that is needed to be signed to keep in proper running operation.
Hardest part of job is in the summer moving bales of hay averaging 60+ lbs.
Most enjoyabe part is working with the customers.

The supervisor over communications discriminates, retaliates and creates a hostile work environment.  When you report serious incidents of policy violations, this agency ignores and retaliates against it's employees.  The senior LE management is a joke and does not care about it's own employees.  All the money within the LE division is sent to special operations but only if you are a game warden.  Senior management within LE has it's own agenda which does not include non-commission or administrative support employees.
When you report unlawful violations to HR, they take the information to senior management within the division and it is then ignored.  There is absolutely no follow-up.

Management is terrible. Regularly shame you for making mistakes. Culture is toxic and antiquated. No upward advancement. If you are not a good old boy it is hard to fit in. Not open to new ideas. Not willing to examine or change practices that don’t work. Faced regular harassment. Most people are disillusioned and have lost their passion. Okay with mediocre work. Most people are isolated or siloed - no free flow of information between programs. I’ve lost years of my life working for this agency and have decided to prioritize my health, because no matter how many all nighters  I pull trying to finish the unmanageable workload, it is still never appreciated. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clerk 10 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour
Senior maintenance specialist 3 salaries reported	$135 per hour
Wildlife rehabilitation technician 2 salaries reported	$4,312 per month
Site superintendent 1 salary reported	$137 per hour
Server 2 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour

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