>>2208235Extremely competitive and requires an investment in education. Similar, more plentiful private jobs pay very poorly and ranger pay is meh. Also subject to funding cuts and moves. Veterans preference also makes getting one hard of you didn't serve.
Living in remote areas, having to move, and overnight work makes raising a family hard.
I did the guide thing for awhile and it was great when I was young. Free housing in parks. Pro deals on gear. But literally round the clock work, going into the back country without phone service means you only date people at work, and even that is hard when you lead 4 week long trips with clients. Being always on does get tiring. I was in great shape, set the heart rate alarm off in the hospital after an injury constantly for too low a pulse, but my body was pretty tired. Went from 165 -170 to 145 during summer peak seasons (did get to stay shredded though, which is cool as a life long /fit/izen. Pay means almost no savings, although government employees make out slightly better. Stuff like NOLS is even more fun for a bit but gets you burnt out even faster from what I've seen (I only did 6 week trips max, although I did a semester long trip as a student). Your training is also hard to flip to other jobs. I am glad I did a neuroscience major with NOLS on the side. Management position everywhere are coveted and few and far between. Seasonal work can mean moving many times a year (good bye dating, hello series of short term relationships with breakups every season).
Law enforcement roles are more stable but far less fun. If I could do it over I'd do environmental studies and work on that side, more stable and better pay.
As is I eventually did grad school for public policy and moved to a city. I miss the lifestyle so much but also have a wife and kid on the way which I wouldn't have. Remote work is easy to find now, and satellite internet is a thing, so a better paying field where you can move around is also an option.
