Considered working as a Day Camp Director? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to LatPro.com for its “What They Don’t Teach” series – a collection of interviews with Hispanic and bilingual professionals from a Senior Events Planner to a High School Teacher, and everything in between.

What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
Summer Day Camp Director. Ive had over fifteen years of experience in the camping industry.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
The job varies quite a bit. If it is during the summer, it would involve management of staff, overseeing activities and program areas, talking with parents and dealing with discipline issues of campers. On the off months, a day could consist of planning events for the next season, recruiting and hiring staff and attending camp fairs where business is drummed up for the summer.

What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what response worked best?
I am a white male. In the camping industry, I dont believe this had any effect on things. It has not helped nor has it hurt.

Do you speak any language other than English? If so, how has it helped you in your job?
I only speak English. As there are staff members and counselors from other countries, speaking another language would be helpful.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
An 8. To increase the rating, a higher salary would be nice. Most camps are non profit, so salaries are not great.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
One needs to be extremely adaptable. When it comes to programming activities for children, they can be very particular as to what they enjoy. I learned this first hand when leading a particular pool program for the campers. A lot of time was spent planning and organizing the events, but none of the campers seemed that interested. Things had to be adapted and tweaked on the spot to make the program a success.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
It would be how to handle the emotional side of the camping environment. Being in a residential or day camping situation can be quite demanding in this regard.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I got started in this line of work because it was a love from childhood. I went to summer camp when younger and decided to work at a camp when I was finally old enough. From there, I kept coming back to camp until it was turned into a profession. If I could go back in time, there would be nothing that I would change about the path taken.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
I spent an entire day working with campers to find out who stole another childs stuffed animal. It was frustrating, exhausting and bizarre to have to spend so much time playing detective.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
Something that makes me feel good would be when a camper that was previously unhappy or homesick tell me that he or she is having a good time at camp.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
There are a wide variety of problems and snafus that can occur throughout each session. These can include camper fights, problems with counselors, damaged or missing equipment, problems with vendors and more. The one that I dislike the most would be when a camper goes missing. This would have to be the most frustrating and frightening experience to deal with until the situation is completely resolved.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
The job can be stressful at times, but is not overly so. A work-life balance is difficult at times. Summer camping is difficult, but the nice thing with day camping would be that the campers go home each day, so there is some time to spend with the family.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
Around $15,000 to $30,000 annually. For the pay, it is a demanding job but this line of work is not one that people go in to because they want to make a lot of money.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
When the parent of an Autistic child told me that his camp experience has helped him to grow and that they were very thankful for everything I had done for their child. The thing that I would have to be most proud of would be that I have completely redone the layout for the camp program and made sweeping improvements to the structure of things. All of the changes have been successful and met with overall approval.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
When a counselor was depressed and contemplating suicide. The counselors are children themselves and come with a lot of emotional baggage. It was difficult to work with him and get him the help that was needed. There are no moments I would want to forget. No matter how difficult, learning can still come of any situation.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
I have a Bachelors Degree in Outdoor Education where I had a lot of courses that helped to prepare me for a career in camping. To be able to get hired and succeed in this industry, one needs to have a love of children and be interested in the outdoors. Having specific skills in outdoor activities, sports and games is essential as well. A camping professional needs to have a lot of items in his bag of tricks.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
I would tell them that they should pursue it if they wanted to have a rewarding time, but be ready for a lot of hard work as well.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I take one week of vacation time every year. It is obviously not able to be taken during the summer, and it never seems like it is long enough.

Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
Summer camping is often misunderstood by a lot of people. There is a lot of planning and hard work that goes into day camp programs and leading these programs is a full time and demanding job.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
Every time I see a child having a good time means that I am doing my job well.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would like to see myself overseeing a larger camp facility. I believe it is always good to be challenged at work and being in a busy and more robust environment helps that.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
There is nothing unique about my particular situation that readers should know.

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