May 07 2024 30 mins 11
View definitions and links discussed in this episode at go.nps.gov/WhatWeDoPodcast
---
TRANSCRIPT:
---
Miles: You know.
Miles: From Yellowstone National Park. This is what we do. I'm Miles Barger.
Jake: And I'm Jake Frank. You know.
Miles: Hey, Jake. How's it going?
Jake: Miles, I mustache is looking super good today.
Miles: Yeah, our podcast listeners can't see my new magnificent mustache.
Jake: But, guys, it is spectacular.
Miles: To use mustache wax. That's the tip. Yeah. today we're going to be talking to Heather Basak. she's an administrative support assistant, real stones division of resource education and youth programs. We call it Rippy for short. before we get started, though, a little trivia question for you, Jake.
Jake: Bring it.
Miles: I don't know how you would know this, but you can make a good guess. How many seasonal employees does r e y p employ in the busy summer season? Rounded to the nearest ten. What do you think? 100 were pretty close. A little over.
Jake: 90.
Miles: One more.
Jake: 70.
Miles: 80.
Jake: I did that on purpose.
Miles: Nice. I think the four positions would be 83, but somewhere around 80. That's a lot. It is a lot. There's a lot that goes into, it goes into that, including hiring all those people and doing paperwork and doing budgeting and all sorts of fun things. so.
Jake: You got to pay the people.
Miles: We got to pay them. We we like to. and then one note, if you notice a difference in sound quality for this episode, there's a good reason for that that we're going to get into during this episode. Heather is a fully remote employee, so we're doing our interview via video chat. So the sound might be a little bit different and that's on purpose.
Miles: So you ready? Heather? Ready as you'll ever be. Yep. Heather, that is good to see you as always. So first question to kick it off, when and where did you get your start in the National Park Service? Or if you got started in something that led into the Park Service, you could even start with that. Sure.
Heather: so I never thought I would actually be working for the National Park Service. And I grew up like, I mean, we didn't know existed national parks. We didn't really do that. We did other types of vacations, but never the parks. So that was on never on my radar. And it wasn't until I was in college that I visited my first national park and the national park in Texas.
Heather: And wonderful trip. I had a blast. Beautiful. But again, I didn't it get. I never thought that I would work for them. And in 1820, towards the end of college and I didn't have a job. What exactly? Sure. What I wanted to do. I was thinking about going to museum studies because I was like a political figure. but I didn't have anything lined up.
Heather: And I actually saw a poster and one of the buildings in my college, and it was for the Student Conservation Association, or SCA, and it talked about internships and public lands. And I thought it could be something. To look into. I don't really have anything lined up. I'll look into it. So I went on their website.
Heather: And kind of internships like service, management service, doing a lot of that service park ranger type jobs. But then there were other internships like archeologist or, territorial intern that was really interested. I was really interested in scattered throughout the park. I was going to state, so I did her first internship with a National Park Service site in Kansas called Fort Scott starts right at the curatorial intern.
Heather: And I was working a lot with collections to prepare of that, and I really enjoyed it. Had other part of that internship was doing around the old military fort. And I got to see a little bit of living history in a fort. This is pretty cool. This is pretty fun. Maybe this is something I want to look into more.
Heather: So then I decided to do a second internship. After that, and FCA from Denali National Park and Preserve, and I got to see. I met Jake and we worked together, and I was really there. And I thought, okay, this is something I might want to do for the rest of my life. They were amazing people to work with.
Heather: there were beautiful things to see and do, and I never would have been never going to have probably visited the without first going to Fort Scott and doing other internships. Not just something I really, really want to do. And so then, just to be sure, I did one more internship with SCA, this time at Big Bend.
Miles: National Park and right back to where you started.
Heather: So it kind of feels like it came full circle, like it was the first national park I visited. Then it is National Park. That kind of really was like, yeah, this is definitely what I want to do is unique experience. I got to do it as visit as a visitor and then also be an employee or an intern there.
Heather: And so I thought this it this is what I want to do. And then from there I made the jump to like this and Wildlife Service and then National Park Service worked a couple of seasonal positions at different national parks and then eventually made that right into a permanent. Position in Yellowstone. And now as an administrative support assistant.
Jake: So I have a few. That was that was a a varied background. So couple things you mentioned, living history. Did you get to wear like period appropriate? like, I don't know, is it costumes is the right word or clothes? That was a while ago.
Heather: Some everything that happens. But it was just very special service. I know time Fort Scott by candlelight and it was close to Christmas time. And they had like different vignettes and all these different military buildings where we would act out scenes of what would have happened, in these different buildings. And I got to be a military long dress.
Heather: And so I got to be where kind of more in our 19th century garb and, pretend to be out doing the, the soldiers laundry. So that was pretty unique. It was really it was really great.
Jake: Yeah. And then the other thing she mentioned that the people she worked with and and they were really great. I just want to like, concur that I am very grateful.
Miles: That I got to.
Jake: Get that on the record.
Miles: I think. When were you guys there? I was there 2008 and 910.
Jake: 2012 is when you were there, right? Heather. Yes.
Miles: That okay. So I missed you. I was a little earlier.
Jake: Yeah. There there is.
Miles: Like all the best people.
Jake: Our listeners there is like a legit like if you've worked in Alaska, you have like a camaraderie with the people in Alaska because it gets into your own, like such a cool place. Like, yeah, you can tell from Heather, she's like, I went to Alaska. And then I realized this is what I wanted to do. Like, it's just really cool.
Miles: Yeah, I resemble that remark.
Jake: So out of those, out of all those jobs that you did to get you to Yellowstone, all the seasonal jobs was there. Did you have any repeat jobs or where did you move, like every season? Was it a different job?
Heather: So good question. And so I well I worked at the. Fish and Wildlife pageant very similar to I was a park ranger, interpretive park ranger for them. And I worked with, preschool kids and did a preschool program for them, and then kind of translated that into the National Park Service. I did interpretive park ranger job. so a lot of the kind of hikes, the guided parks in walks, that's the thing working in the visitor center, helping people around.
Heather: but then I worked, also as a campground greeter, ranger, in great shape along with National Park. got to help people check in campsites, go to a campground, meals, walk around, talk to them, educate them about the park. and then I work with the Yellowstone and worked as a reminder. So I worked in the what's called the classroom and, and all the money that came in from the entrance stations and the visitor centers reconciled all that money, and then got it ready for deposit and then also worked in the visitor services office in Yellowstone.
Heather: helping people plan their trips and then work on some special use permit. so I didn't move around a little bit, but I was kind of I might have been in a little bit different, but seasonally, because I had I was with my husband and he had a permanent job at some of these places. Yeah. So I, I stuck around in some of these parks probably a little bit longer than others, seasonal soup.
Heather: And then I can then move around a little bit and follow their job. Or I was and more in one area for a longer time.
Jake: Yeah, I was, I was asking because my until I got my first permanent job, I moved 12 times in six years. So it was every six months. I was on to something else though, like that's that is part of the lifestyle. And then your permanent okay.
Miles: So where are you joining us from right now.
Heather: So I work I believe in my from Boise Idaho.
Miles: and how long have you been working fully remote. Is it been two years?
Heather: Oh, that's a that's a great question. And then and probably about a year and a half.
Miles: Okay. Okay. so what does, do you have a typical day? What does your typical day look like? You have a typical day. So I don't think there ever really is a typical week.
Heather: for an administrative support assistant. because so many things get thrown at us and there's so many things that pop up last minute that we have to take care of that I don't think any one day is completely the same. But we do have a lot of like reoccurring tasks that happen every. And so we do a lot of the same stuff to me, every single day may not just be every day like we have to get payroll done.
Heather: that's part of the big one. Everybody wants to get paid pretty important. So that's kind of one of thank you. It's one of the biggest tasks that we have. But we also arrange travel for a lot of our in-house employees that they have to go to meeting at the outside of the park to go to other parks to assist with anything.
Heather: We arrange that travel is something that that's kind of like a travel agent in that regard. we deal a lot with, I'm sorry. so we're kind of an.
Heather: HR liaison in his personnel actions for hiring somebody. All those are those 83 seasonals we put in an office for them, and then nobody is in these three different positions. Kind of all, initiative, support, assistance. And then depending on the part or even the division, you might even help with some budget work, reconciling accounts or an expenses and.
Jake: you also have a credit card.
Heather: I do not do not all do. But I do have a purchase card and I make purchases for some of our position.
Jake: Yeah, I know that, I've never owned a purchase card as a government employee, but that's another thing that, administer to folks are worth their weight in gold for managing the purchasing process. It's very complicated. And there are a lot of rules.
Heather: There are a lot like that. Yes.
Miles: Yeah. Yes. So what would you say is the most important skill for your job? Or if there's more than one, you can say, yeah.
Heather: administrative support assistance really need to be flexible because there are so many things that will pop up last minute. So I think you'll be working on something and then have to put that task away and work on something else because of the time sensitive. so you need to be able to jump from one task to another pretty easily and change your priorities on the fly.
Heather: and then I think you said you have a really good customer service mentality. I mean, administrative support assistance. We don't really what we don't buy. We didn't think of our customers like our fellow employees. We want to make sure we give them a good support. And as an experience, every time, so they can be successful in their job and so they can protect the parks.
Heather: They can also, you know, share business. And so we really need to be focused on our employees.
Miles: what's your favorite part? Yeah.
Heather: It's variety. There's a lot of stuff that you get to do as an administrative support assistant. You're not really necessarily pigeonholed into one thing. You get exposure to a lot of different, a lot of different routes. And, you know, coming around, at the time, you get exposure to different divisions, every division and administrative support assistant and what they do for each division is a little different.
Heather: So, you just get exposure to a lot of different things, a lot of different processes. You can really, really enjoy that. And I mean, get to work with people. It's just pretty great, too.
Miles: and, what about the flip side? You have a least favorite part of your job or hardest part? all the email. Yeah. Nonstop. Nonstop.
Heather: You, it's be a little overwhelming at times that, Yeah. But in all seriousness, I think having to juggle so many different things at once and balancing all the different pieces, and being able to get that from one task to another, and it can be a little difficult at times. So it's really important, you know, if you do get one of these jobs to take particular notes, be really organized.
Heather: and so figure it out. Really great organization methods for some of the stuff that. Yeah, yeah. But that's that's kind of like.
Miles: And I think sometimes you all have to deal with really long term deadlines or what seem like long term deadlines to me. And that I think that's always hard for me where it's like, oh, we need to have this thing in like six months ahead of time or, you know, and their deadlines that you, you can't miss really?
Miles: Yeah.
Heather: Especially when it comes to H.R. We really. Yeah. We've got deadlines pretty far in advance for some, for some of our things. And if you miss those deadlines and it pushes back and then maybe somebody can start. and so yeah. So there are some things that definitely happens.
Miles: Yeah. A lot of people relying.
Jake: you guys are there like the grease of this machine. They make sure that everything is the keeps chugging along and without it. Yeah. Without all the little actions and paperwork and everything, it seems like we're constantly in contact. Admin.
Miles: Yeah. And you all know all the you know, you all know all the little things, but. What do we do. How do we do that.
Heather: Well no. Yes. Well a lot of research. You do have to be a researcher I feel like. And then stop it and look at some of this stuff and make it out. And you've got some. Of those questions. Because there are a lot of rules. There are a lot of things. But and I'm still constantly learning. And that's also I got to like never really say I feel like you never really say, stop it. You're constantly in motion. You're constantly.
Miles: You mind if I ask you about when you're talking about moving with your husband and everything? Just because I think that would be interesting for people who are thinking about NPS as a career, it can be challenging. I think, or, you know, long term, partners who work in the service like I've known people who are married and live apart for a long time.
Miles: sometimes, like a really long time or they date and hour long distance for years before finally and and things like that. So, I don't know, just, like, how did that play into your career and your husband's career and how life is as gone for you guys? So far? I mean, it seems like that's probably part of the remote position or some of the flexibility, but I don't know, just anything.
Miles: You would want people to know about your experience with that who might be thinking about the Park Service? Yeah, that's.
Heather: A that is a great question. yeah. There are different routes that people can take, as I have also known, you know, couples who have had to be a pilot for a little while and it's working separate parts, and, and make them relate to each other. And we've been fortunate enough that, where my husband and I've been able to pick up seasonal work, and that that's not necessarily in the cards for everybody. But thankfully I was able to and I kind of there's also the reason why.
Heather: You know, I didn't. Just stay in one career path, like I've done a couple different Things. And that was really, you know, I kind of took a job with where I could, but I really liked it. I think that made me a little bit more well-rounded and really appreciated that. And then thankfully, when my husband moved to a different position, away from Yellowstone, I was able to go remote, especially with administrative and administrative work kind of leans more towards that.
Heather: With every job in the Park Service, there's so many that have to be, park. thankfully, like, I got allowed me to have that ability and my supervisors there was very, very supportive and I was able to get a remote job that did. That's really helped me with that.
Miles: Yeah. Yeah, it's it's, I mean, not that we need to dive deeper into it in this episode, but it is interesting. I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that. Number one, if you work for a national park, it doesn't mean you're going to get like housing in the national park. In fact, it generally means you're not going to.
Miles: And, it's not just Yellowstone, but like a lot of parks, it's becoming harder and harder and harder to find places to live right by the park just because of how the real estate and things have gone as well. And then sometimes with some of these parks that are really remote, there's situations with like school for kids or extracurricular or all sorts of things.
Miles: So, yeah, that's part of why we wanted to one of many reasons why we wanted to talk to you is just to let people know that that is something that our remote positions are, something that parks are utilizing for the right positions and the right people, like you had already been at Yellowstone. So you know, the park, you know, people here, yeah.
Miles: I just think it's cool that that's been able to work out well for you. And it has worked out well for us as well.
Jake: Well, I'm not of a very big fan that Heather is remote, but other other than other than my personal with the Sierra person.
Miles: Yes, I agree with.
Jake: Her in person.
Miles: So, you know, even with, I'll say difficulties or challenges of, you know, managing, relationship and career and all different parks and the tough things about jobs and the good things about jobs. Why do you what has kept you working for the National Park Service, like what has kept you knowing that your decision, this is what you were going to do was the right one for you?
Heather: I mean, that's a big question. I think, you know, it really goes back to when I did that internship. I think that's when I just, I just yeah. It I just feel like, you know, I'm still in that and, what the Park Service stands for. And I've just met so many great people along the way, those, you know, fellow employees. Customers as well as visitors. that just makes. It just makes it worthwhile. in my office here, I worked with a school for it. And when I was in Yellowstone from Lowell, Massachusetts, I came all the way out to Yellowstone, and I actually have a picture of those kids. The teacher gave it to me. I have this picture of those kids on my desk, and, I can, just remind me, like, you know, I'm part of something bigger, and, you know, it's it's really awesome to to feel like I make a difference.
Heather: And, Yeah. So I just believe in the Park Service.
Miles: Yeah. Yeah. I think it's I kind of had a similar experience. I think a lot of us do. Or it's like, I think my first summer in a park was here in Yellowstone making beds at Canyon. But then, you know, I did a couple of the internships, and at some point you're like. And I go back to do a normal, a normal lifestyle if I can.
Miles: And then the mission and, just remind everybody, the mission of the Park Service is to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park park system for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. So, like you said, even if sometimes a day might be filled with like a checklist of what might seem like mundane tasks or something, I think for me it sounds like for you, having that bigger mission that you know, you're working for really does make a difference.
Jake: a question that I have, like with that mission, I think a lot of us, when we have the rough days that like physically work here, you have the rough days, but then you go outside and you hear the wolf howl, or you see Old Faithful erupt, like, how is that transition? And then for you going remote like, and, you know, keeping your like, how do you remind yourself that, you know, when you when it's not in your face like it was when you were physically working in or.
Heather: Yeah. So it's been a little bit of a transition. Sorry. No, I very much enjoy it. And flexibility it is given me to be, you know, continue to work for the parks are and I think it becomes more about the people. And I didn't necessarily build a connection to the place that I feel connection to the people even more.
Heather: so to me, Yellowstone has not just become like the first National park, amazing place to experience hot springs wildlife. It's really become like a community. and it's about it's about a deeper connection now for me as well. And so that's kind of.
Miles: Yeah, yeah.
Jake: Hashtag team Yellowstone.
Miles: Well, I think that's a good point too, because I know I've talked to people in my family or friends about working for the Park Service, and I think as people will, get the impression pretty quickly while they're listening to this podcast over all the different episodes and all the different people that we talk to, you just get to be surrounded by interesting, brilliant people and like every job, basically doing all these things for the park.
Miles: And it's such a cool community to be a part of. So I think, yeah, the that over time I've appreciated that more and more and more as to like what makes it such a cool place to work. so getting into the details of if someone were interested in this type of work that you do. So what is so your official title is Administrative Support Assistant.
Miles: Yes. do you know the job series on USA job?
Heather: Yes, it's 0303. And sometimes that it comes up as like a miscellaneous clerk. but it's administrative support assistant and the GIS level can range. I've seen from 1 to 5.
Miles: Okay. do you need formal training to get started in this job series or, like, what are the minimum requirements that people would need if they were thinking about applying for this type of job?
Heather: And so there's a lot of on the job training. Like I said, I'm still learning. So learning about so many things. But if you have like a background and a dad or it's time or travel, you know, those are all, applicable to the administrative support officer that, a lot of times how I, you know, I just worked my way as, Yes. Fine seasonal that I think back and then, you took over to the first credit to visitor services as well. So, I mean, if you work seasonally in the Park Service and every time you bring it in, and I think just even that experience can help you along to that if you take any even if just like any formal training for you. But that to seen anything like that that you know, put that on your résumé as well. There's a lot of things you may not think are prime do because they administrate of supportive systems are in every single division. I think if you work your way up through the division, I thought that, yeah, I'm a maintenance worker. If you know what seasonal maintenance workers need and you know the support that they need. So you you may not think it applies, but it probably does.
Jake: You know, it also seems like a lot of the systems that we use in the government are like proprietary. They like we're built for the government. So if you haven't worked in the government, you could have like say you're an accountant, you have budget experience, but you still have to learn new things in a job. So like right to your point, it's like, you know, if you're in an entry level position, it just seems like having an, you know, having a base level, you know, being organized and you know, it's like you're not necessarily going to know how to do VMs or, or insert any other acronyms right here.
Jake: Because, you know, there's so many of.
Heather: Different federal agencies who will use different systems as well. Like I learned from an HR specialist who moved over from the Forest Service. But they have a different set of these apps for their HR actions. So there's different, you know, different things that you'll learn on the job in the park, that are even different from other agencies.
Miles: And then just being in government in general, you know. Yeah, having almost what, oh, over 200 years of laws and things that have developed for different reasons. And, special ways that we do things and, you know, not just scrutiny, but like, you know, we have a higher responsibility to do everybody in the United States, basically.
Jake: Yeah. It's like taxpayer dollars. We need to make sure that we're not. Yeah. There's no yeah, waste wasting. There's a good accountability. There's all those checks balance.
Miles: Exactly. All right. So last question. You have a favorite story or memory in Yellowstone or any other national park that you would want to share?
Heather: This is a hard one. Yeah. yeah. You know, it's like. Asking to choose your favorite child. because they're all, you know, they're all. Unique and they're all special. my favorite, my. Favorite one that sticks out the most is it happened in Yellowstone. and I was driving down in the interior, and it was late, late in the season. They're still on the road. I was the only one on the roadway, and and Norris and I, my son, who's like, one of was in the backseat and, I turned and all of a sudden they were way all over the road. I had never walked in my life. And I got a video because I can't believe I. I slowed down, pulled over, and I put. Out my phone and I think of it, it sounds like this will never, ever happen again. And the wolves, were a black. I remember the black wolves walked within three feet of my car door and it looked at me, its eyes, and it was like kind of continued walking off. And I was like, oh my God, I get to this is my closest one's not going. To remember this. I didn't know what's going on, but I was like, daddy, we got to do that together. And I know we won't remember it. I mean, of course we won't remember this one, but, to think that, like, I got to be there and I got to share this special moment with him that will never happen to me again in my life. And, be able to experience Yellowstone in that type of way and keep that in mind. which was really neat and amounted to something. I'll be able to show him the video of and tell him about and he's older, and then hopefully, you know, when we go back to visit Yellowstone, I you can have a similar experience.
Miles: Very cool. Okay. Well, I think that's it for this week's episode.
Jake: Yeah. Thanks for joining us, Heather. Thanks so.
Miles: Much for. Yeah, finding us. Thank you for having me.
Jake: When are you coming back? for a visit. When are we going to see you in person again? Not soon enough.
Heather: I don't know when, but hopefully. Hopefully soon.
Jake: Ready? Well, we'll, we'll keep in touch virtually until then.
Heather: Sounds good. Thank you.
