“The Hustle’s Real”: Exploring Outdoor Recreation Careers Using the Psychology of Working Theory
Author ORCID Identifier
Jayson Seaman - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6555-6171
Abstract
Employees in the outdoor recreation sector account for 3% of the U.S. workforce, contributing to over $800B in national economic output. As awareness of the sector’s economic might has grown, interest in promoting outdoor recreation careers has expanded. Research on outdoor recreation careers has not kept pace with workforce development opportunities and initiatives, and existing data and research reports provide only aggregate figures that neither reflect the new employment landscape nor track how careers are navigated by the people who occupy them. This article reports on an interview study of 15 established outdoor recreation professionals in executive or management positions to gain insights into career narratives in outdoor recreation. Their narrative responses were assessed using the Psychology of Working Theory, a career counseling framework organized around the concept of decent work. Findings are presented along with points for outdoor recreation career advocates to consider in designing future workforce development initiatives.
Department
Recreation Management and Policy; New Hampshire Youth Retention Initiative
Publication Date
5-1-2024
Journal Title
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership
Publisher
Sagamore Publishing LLC
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Seaman, Jayson; Martin, Jake; Hartman, Cindy L.; and Coppens, Andrew D., "“The Hustle’s Real”: Exploring Outdoor Recreation Careers Using the Psychology of Working Theory" (2024). Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. 1983.
https://scholars.unh.edu/faculty_pubs/1983