Sometimes, it’s easy to forget the wide range of jobs offered by the federal government. There are always really cool openings that let you live out some childhood dreams and don’t necessarily involve sitting in an office all day (not that those jobs aren’t awesome as well!). Here are a few of my favorite fed jobs that are currently accepting applications:
Position: Animal Keeper (American Trails)
Department/Agency: Smithsonian Institution
Salary: $18.22-$21.26 per hour
Close Date: March 31, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: Not only do you get to work with animals all day long, you also get to teach visitors about natural history, conservation, animal habitats, and all the cool stuff you do on a daily basis.
Position: Museum Curator (Aeronautics)
Department/Agency: Smithsonian Institution
Salary: $63,722-$82,840 per year
Close Date: March 26, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: If you’re a aeronautics or military nerd, this job gives you the opportunity to conduct research in the area of Modern Military Aviation history. And you get to use that research for public presentations.
Position: Park Ranger (Oscoda, Michigan)
Department/Agency: Department of Agriculture/Forest Service
Salary: $31,944-$41,530 per year
Close Date: March 30, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: There are a number of open park ranger positions on USAJobs. For this one, you’ll be assigned to the Huron-Manistee National Forest, and as the posting says “the rewards are as limitless as the views.” In addition to providing site-specific regulatory information, you’ll be creating and presenting programs on the forest and leading walks on the trails.
Position: Smokejumper
Department/Agency: Department of Agriculture/Forest Service
Salary: $35,256 per year
Close Date: September 30, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: With duty locations in a number of regions across the country, these highly skilled firefighters are responsible for parachuting and fire suppression. Certainly a dangerous task, but you get to jump out of a plane for a living!
Position: International Broadcaster (Multimedia)
Department/Agency: Broadcasting Board of Governors
Salary: $90,823-$118,069 per year
Close Date: March 25, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: Working in the Central News Division of Voice of America, this position handles all news duties from reporting to producing to taking video to editing. The vacancy announcement also mentions that you “Must be willing to report and shoot in danger.”
Position: Institutional Recreation Specialist (Carswell AFB, Texas)
Department/Agency: Department of Justice/Bureau of Prisons
Salary: $47,402-$68,214 per year
Close Date: April 8, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: File this under jobs whose existence I never really thought about, but this position requires you to develop recreational programs (including “yoga, varsity softball, aerobics, etc.”) for inmates to advance their “physical, creative and social development.”
Position: Interior Designer
Department/Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs/Veterans Health Administration
Salary: $66,031-$85,841 per year
Close Date: March 25, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: Working at the West Haven, Connecticut, VA Medical Center, this position requires developing and implementing creative design initiatives geared toward providing a patient-centered experience that promotes “mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical healing.”
Position: Illustrator (Fort Carson, Colorado)
Department/Agency: Department of the Army/Army Installation Management Command
Salary: $27,260-$35,500 per year
Close Date: March 26, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: The person in this position is responsible for creating the artwork for Army posters, fliers, brochures, and other internal and external documents.
Position: Swim Coach (Huntsville, Alabama)
Department/Agency: Department of the Army/Army Installation Management Command
Salary: $25,540-$63,500 per year
Close Date: March 25, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: If you like to swim, this job is for you. The person in this position serves as a swim team coach at the Redstone Arsenal’s Fitness Centers, which includes overseeing practices, promoting the swim team, and developing competitive swimming programs for a variety of ages.
Position: Assistant Rugby Coach (West Point, New York)
Department/Agency: Department of the Army/U.S. Military Academy
Salary: $28,240-$45,900 per year
Close Date: December 31, 2015
Why It’s Awesome: You get paid to work at the U.S. Military Academy helping coach the women’s rugby team. The person in this position is also responsible for working with athletes in regards to all aspects of academy life including academics, morals, ethics, social responsibilities, and academics.
Do you work in any of these positions? Share your experience in the comments!
Image of a smokejumper plane courtesy of http://www.fs.fed.us/
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