Career Paths in the Outdoors Sector: A Comprehensive Guide to Jobs in Nature and Adventure

Jobs in the outdoors

If working in an office isn’t for you, and you wonder how you could stretch your weekend adventure-loving-side-hustle into something that pays (or at least has a better view than your flouro-lit work station), I’ve compiled a list of jobs in the outdoors across a range of sectors, that might surprise you.

What have I missed? Connect with me over on Facebook and let me know. (Yep, I know I haven’t got any horticulture/agriculture jobs in there. I’ve tried to keep the scope a bit narrower).

A philosophical pause…

For some of us, connecting the term ‘industry’ with the outdoors and nature can be problematic.

I reflect on my urban childhood, in a family that never went camping, where I lived out my forest adventures in the Enchanted Wood, at the base of the Faraway Tree.

I had the privilege of a few school camps along the way, but it wasn’t these or my homelife that sent me on my trajectory to finding home in the bush; it was an experiential leadership training course (3 days in the Budawangs NP) in my mid-20s that had a profound change in me. A course that I was lucky to attend free-of-charge, but that cost corporate types $2500 each (in the 90s).

We each have our own gateways into a wild life and I wonder if I had come from a family where the bush is home, if life might have been different. That’s a different type of privilege–the wisdom of caregivers who value these things and want to offer that connectedness to the next generation. But as with any nature vs nurture discussion, even a childhood curated by nature doesn’t ensure a life-long connection and caring for (or even enjoyment of ) these spaces and the world they contain.

Without an inbuilt sensibility, or exposure from outside the home, (through community, school, or one of the many ways listed below), many of us would never know the wonder and life available to us, belonging to nature.

Outdoor Education Jobs

Outdoor Ed is so much more than just school camps.

Tourism jobs in the outdoors

This is the obvious one, right? But dig deeper and there is loads of variety, niches and specialties within this outdoor sector. Astronomy and stargazing anyone?

Nature & Outdoor Therapy Jobs

We’ve known it for years: time spent in nature is good for us. Really good for us. Touching a tree or going for a wander in nature doesn’t have to cost us anything, but for many in need of therapy, they need a way-in. Not only a way-in to nature, but a way-in to themselves. It’s no surprise that according to Outdoors NSW & ACT, nature therapy is the fastest-growing sector of the industry.

Research Jobs in the Outdoors

All the ‘oligies’: jobs in ecology, botany, biology, geology, astronomy, environmental science and much more. But just because you don’t have a science degree doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get involved. There may be opportunities where researchers need outdoor guides to assist with logistics and be guided into remote and rugged locations.

Youth and Community Groups

Jobs in this outdoor sector include Scouts, Guides, peak body organisations, not-for-profits, bushwalking and social clubs. Sure, there’s a lot of volunteering in those spaces, but some have paid staff. If you’re particularly handy in grants/sponsorships or proposal writing, you could even fund your own position through government or philanthropic funding.

Outdoor and Adventure Events Jobs

Large outdoor events, like adventure or trail running races, can only happen through the power of volunteers, who often receive free entry/participation in exchange for their help. Look further up the chain and you’ll find a group of folk managing roles like logistics, IT, safety and risk, stakeholder management, comms and even volunteer recruitment and management.

Corporate and Organisational

If you read my wee philosophical blurb, you’d have learnt that a corporate training course in the Budawang Wilderness was the catalyst for turning my life towards the bush. Maybe you could help others find it too?

Lifestyle and Wellbeing

You know all those gender-based outdoor groups (eg ‘women’s group’ this, or ‘men’s group’ that)? They’re a bit of a hybrid between tourism, outdoor events and community organisations, often straddling the perception that they’re not-for-profit. There’s nothing wrong with being a business; we all have bills to pay. Just because they’re for-profit, doesn’t mean they can’t also be for-good.

A few outdoor careers you might not have thought of…

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