Student Perceptions of Leisure Service Careers
Research reveals that most students today chose careers in commercial recreation, and a job in the public sector may be a "default" option
BY DANIEL G. VODER, JOHN WEBER AND CYNTHIA J. WACHTER
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(This research) suggests a growing disparity between the demand for and supply of competent and enthusiastic public leisure service personnel in the state of Illinois. |
For many of us who prepared for careers in recreation and parks by attending colleges and universities in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the only "real" option was working in the public sector at either the local, state or federal level. Our professors and mentors did recognize the "other" areas, but usually only in passing. Some students eventually found careers in the nonprofit and commercial venues, but in many cases it was by default. They were unsuccessful in finding positions in park districts or municipal settings or the state or federal government and they settled for something else.
Today that is no longer the case. Careers in leisure services in the public sector are no longer "the only game in town." Students can now opt for careers in the commercial and nonprofit arenas as well as in the burgeoning corrections industry, military recreation and the corporate realm.
Instead of 80 percent of park and recreation students entering the public sector and the other 20 percent spreading themselves across the various other fields, the opposite appears to be true in the '90s. This trend could result in serious consequences for the future provision of public leisure services at the local level in the state of Illinois.
Research Goals and Method
This exploratory research project examined the attitudes of leisure service majors in Illinois universities toward careers in recreation and parks in the public, commercial and nonprofit sectors. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to determine the percentage of students who aspire to careers in each of the sectors and what perceptions they hold of careers in the various sectors.
Self-administered questionnaires gathered demographic and attitudinal information from recreation and park majors at Western Illinois University, Illinois State University and Eastern Illinois University in the fall of 1997. The majority of the questions on the survey were closed-ended. For example, the survey included the question, What is your opinion of entry level wages in the public leisure service sector? Response options included very high, high, average, low or very low. In addition, the researchers sought more detailed information by including an open-ended question to determine students' primary reasons for aspiring to careers in a particular area.
Following brief instructions, including a statement that completion of the questionnaire was voluntary and responses were anonymous, professors handed out a total of 404 survey instruments during class. Although a few of me questionnaires were only partially completed, all were returned promptly. The high response rate (which approached 100 percent) and the researchers' belief that the students from the three aforementioned institutions were representative of students in leisure service programs in other Illinois universities and colleges, allowed the researchers to make inferences and conclusions with some degree of confidence. Moreover, the responses by students did not differ significantly between institutions. This does not mean that other institutes of higher education in Illinois might not produce different results with the same survey.
The problems of dividing the leisure services field into three separate sectors are fully appreciated. The growth of shared revenue sources, the adoption of business principles and marketing strategies and cooperative endeavors has contributed to a blurring and subsequent confu-
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sion of the private, public and nonprofit worlds. Moreover, some students aspire for careers in areas in which opportunities exist in multiple sectors. For example, outdoor recreation positions can be found in private, nonprofit and public agencies. To address the issue, the survey included a short explanation and diagram to explain this common classification system and its use in the questionnaire.
Findings
Valuable insight can be gained by considering the overall profile of the students involved in the study. Respondents were evenly split between males (49%) and females (51%). Ninety-four percent (94%) were undergraduate students and 80% of all respondents were recreation or leisure service majors. The majority (75%) had taken their first recreation class since 1996 with 48% having taken their first class in 1997. Many students indicated they had previously worked in the leisure service field: 41% in the public sector, 37% in the commercial sector and 34% in the nonprofit sector.
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Chart A
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Career Aspirations One of the most informative questions posed to students focused on their career aspirations. In response to the statement, "Indicate the sector in which you would most like to work," 50% percent indicated they would most like to work in the commercial sector, 35% preferred to work in the public sector and 15% hoped to work in the nonprofit sector (see chart A). |
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Chart B
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Career Status Respondents held different perceptions of the status of careers in the different areas. Employment in the commercial sector held the highest perceived status with 61% of the respondents indicating either very high or high status. Fifty percent (50%) of the students perceived that a public sector career rated either very high or high status. Only 38% indicated that a career in the nonprofit sector warranted very high or high status (see chart B). |
Use of Technology
Students believe that technology is used much more in the commercial sector, less in the public sector and the least in the nonprofit sector. Eighty percent (80%) of the students rated the use of technology in the commercial sector as being "very much" or "much" in comparison to 56% of similar responses in the public realm and only 30% in the nonprofits.
Wage and Compensation
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Because wages and other compensation are of particular importance to those contemplating a particular career field, the survey posed several related questions in this area. Students' perceptions of entry-level wages were realistic. Nineteen percent (19%) thought that entrylevel wages in the commercial sector were either high or very high, 10% thought that entry-level wages were high or very high in the public sector and 4% of the respondents perceived entry-level wages to be high or very high in the nonprofit realm. Only nonprofit agencies' entry level wages were rated low by more than half of the students. |
When this information is combined with data regarding perceptions of top management salaries, significantly different perceptions of the three sectors become evident. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the respondents thought that top management salaries in the commercial arena were either high or very high; 56% thought that the salaries paid to top management in the public sector were high or very high and only 36% believed that top managers in the nonprofit sector made high or very high salaries.
Not surprisingly, students' perceptions of the benefit plans for each sector are consistent with their perceptions of salaries. Commercial sector benefits plans are rated highest, the benefit plans of the public sector are in the middle and the benefit plans in the nonprofit sector are perceived to be the lowest (see chart C).
Getting a Good Job
Interestingly, students are equally optimistic about "getting a good job" in each area. The chances of getting a good job in the
commercial sector are rated very good or good according to 68% of the students, 67% believe that to be the case in the public sector and 65% in the nonprofit sector.
The optimism shown by students in regard to getting a good job appears to carry over into the perception of their chances of advancement in each sector. The commercial sector once again leads the way with 75% of the students rating the chances of advancement as very good or good followed by 66% in the public sector and 60% in the nonprofit sector.
Helping the Community
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The question regarding the students' perception of the "chances of helping your community" shows the greatest difference with the nonprofit sector rated highest (42% believe they have a very good chance of doing so), the public sector rated in the middle with 33% perceiving a very good opportunity and the commercial sector last with only 11% indicating a very good chance of helping their community (see chart D). |
Conclusions and Discussion
What do college students think of careers in leisure service in the public, commercial and nonprofit sectors?
18/ Illinois Parks and Recreation
The commercial sector appears to be a very attractive career choice for students. Of the three areas, it is rated number one in terms of status, the amount of technology employed, entry level salaries, top management salaries, benefits packages, opportunities for advancement and the chances of getting a good job out of college.
At the other end of the spectrum, the nonprofit sector has the lowest career status, uses little technology, and has the lowest compensation plans including entry level wages, top management level salaries and employee benefits. On only one quality did nonprofits rate the highest: that of the possibility of helping the community.
In every case, careers in the public sector fell between the extremes. It was lower in status than working in the commercial sector but above the status of working in the nonprofit sector. The amount of technology used to accomplish the job in the public realm was in the middle. Students indicated that they thought the wages, salaries, benefits and chances of advancement were better than those in nonprofit agencies but not as good as those found in the commercial sector. The chance of doing good for the community was not as good as that in the nonprofit area but much better that the opportunity of doing good things for the community in the commercial sector.
Given these perceptions (and it is important to remember that these are perceptions only and may or may not reflect reality) it should be no surprise that 50% of the students aspire to leisure careers in the commercial field. The narrative answers to the open-ended questions regarding this interest supports the quantitative data.
The following candid narrative response captures the sentiment of many students: "It (the commercial sector) is the best opportunity to make the most money."
Others mentioned that they liked the idea of "being entrepreneurial and someday owning my own company. "
The narrative responses for having an interest in a career in the nonprofit sector were also consistent with the short answers. An altruistic theme was clearly evident. Several made note that they expected to earn considerably less money in this area; however, they were willing to make the sacrifice. According to one: "I have volunteered in the nonprofit field and now it is my major Interest. I feel it is a way to make a difference."
The reasons expressed for going into the public sector were much more varied. Some students commented on their perception that the pubic sector offered the best opportunities for "making quality programs that can be offered to almost anyone." Others noted that careers in outdoor recreation or therapeutic recreation would most likely occur in the public sector. The chance to interact with a diverse collection of professionals and clients was attractive to some students.
For the most part, previous work experiences in the public sector (usually in the summer months) seemed to have been positive and created an interest in the field. After indicating a strong aspiration for a leisure service career in the public sector one student wrote: "I have worked there for three years, I know how things are run. I like the public sector. "
One narrative response provides an interesting insight not only because of what was written but because of what was not written. An undergraduate student noted: "I am split between the nonprofit and the commercial sector. I would like to benefit my community but making a living and good money is why I'm going to college. "
In recognizing the salient qualities of the commercial and nonprofit areas, the student seems to have overlooked the public sector. The data, when considered as a whole, suggests that some of the erosion of interest in public sector leisure service careers might be related to this phenomenon of gravitation to the extremes. If students desire to make a lot of money and live very comfortable lives they tend to the commercial side: if they desire to contribute to helping individuals or society they tend to the nonprofits. The middle ground (in which Illinois park and conservation districts and municipal departments reside) may now have become the "default sector."
Indeed, there appears to be a larger number of students who enter the commercial or nonprofit sectors only to find that "it is not what it is cracked up to be." Some of them turn to the public leisure service area, and some of them leave the field altogether.
Obviously Illinois park and conservation districts, forest preserves and municipal park and recreation departments need bright young people to replace professionals who leave for a number of reasons. More than 30,000 people are employed by approximately 400 public park, recreation and conservation agencies in Illinois. A conservative 3 percent attrition rate would require 900 new professionals with the philosophy, knowledge and skills unique to the leisure services field each year. (This turnover does not take into the account the impact of a significantly large cadre of mature professionals who will likely be retiring in the next five to ten years.)
Each year Illinois' universities and colleges produce between 300 and 400 students with recreation and park degrees. According to this study 35 percent of those students (between 100 and 140) aspire to careers in the public sector. Unfortunately, some of those who desire such careers will either leave the state or be unable to accept positions for other reasons. And inevitably, a few will lack the skills and knowledge necessary for the positions available.
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These numbers suggest a growing disparity between the demand for and supply of competent and enthusiastic public leisure service personnel in the state of Illinois. While some of this can and should be filled by professionals from other fields, a personnel crisis may loom in the future.
It is important to remember that we have discussed the perceptions students hold of careers in the field; and some of those perceptions might not be based in reality. For example, the entry level wages and the salaries of top managers in Illinois park districts are at least comparable to those in the commercial sector. In many cases, the employees' fringe benefits and job security are better in the public sector. And students do have the opportunity to genuinely contribute to the lives of individuals and to the quality of their communities.
Armed with the most current and enlightening data, it will still take a concerted effort to change the misconceptions that some young people have about careers in the provision of public leisure services. We should not attempt to direct every student to a career in the public sector: many simply are not appropriate for a career in this sector and would do much better in the commercial or nonprofit sectors. However, university faculty and administrators and public leisure service professionals must actively laud the benefits of and advocate for careers in Illinois park and conservation districts and municipal park and recreation departments if we are to avert a personnel crisis in the next decade. •
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