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Recreation Workers

Under the title Recreation Workers, workers conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. O*NET rates it as considerable preparation, which usually means a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience. It leans on speaking, social perceptiveness, and service orientation. Expect to enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety. The strongest interest signal is Social (4.9 of 7), then Enterprising (4.5) and Realistic, which gives it the code SER. You may also need to organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need research, analysis and working through hard problems.

What they do

Conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. Organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies, taking into account the needs and interests of individual members.

Main tasks

  • Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
  • Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies.
  • Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities.
  • Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities.
  • Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary.
  • Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Service Orientation
  • Coordination
  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and social perceptiveness.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 2.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SER takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Activities Assistant
  • Activities Director
  • Activity Aide
  • Activity Assistant
  • Activity Coordinator

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.