June 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 52

R E D, W H I T E A N D B LU E

Outdoor excursions are some of the activities offered by MWR programs.

So on top of my recreation fundamental classes and skill-development
work, I minored in business administration and took key recreation classes that also centered on operations
and management.
" My master's degree is in management, and it was another important
degree program for me, " he says. " I
had been working as a recreation
professional in the field for several
years before beginning this program,
and that made a real difference. It
gave me an opportunity to apply the
skills and knowledge I had attained
thus far and enhance existing skills.
I began and completed my master's program while working at Fort
Campbell. Every class, from those
dealing with finance and strategic
planning to management applications and labor relations, related
back to my work. There wasn't one
class that was wasted time or not applicable in the field. "
A Second Career
Ever since high school, Mike O'Neill
wanted to be a park ranger, a career

Parks & Recreation

confirmed by aptitude tests. But first
came the 11 years he served in the
Navy when he started his family, so
his plans for a career in parks and
recreation got put on hold. His job
in information technology at George
Mason University in northern Virginia slowly and agonizingly confirmed his initial instinct for parks
and recreation.

" Serving overseas helped
crystallize my interest in
public service. "
-Jason Lang, Camp
Coordinator, Loudoun
County Parks, Recreation and
Community Services, Virginia
" I wanted to change careers, and I
found GMU has a parks and outdoor
recreation degree program ...and I was
delighted to find classes in all the things
I do for fun, " O'Neill says. " It was a no
brainer for me to change my career. "
O'Neill chipped away at his degree a
class or two at a time until his daughter, upon her graduation from college,
challenged him to finish his degree by

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his 50th birthday. Today, the finish line is
in sight, and O'Neill next plans a second
career in military MWR.
" I have my sights set on MWR
because I have positive memories of
MWR activities and programs from
my time in the Navy, and it seems
like a good fit with my military background and my new degree in recreation, " O'Neill says. " I know what it
is like to be on a ship or a base and
not know what there is to do for fun.
" The time I spent overseas with my
family in Rota, Spain, was the best of
Navy career, " he continues. " We enjoyed it very much and would someday like to live there again. Working for
MWR would make that a possibility. "
In looking back at the path to his degree in parks and recreation, O'Neill
explains it was never clear-cut or easy.
" Returning to school has been difficult, " he says. " I'm always the oldest student in the class, sometimes
even older than the professor. I've
had times when I've doubted myself
and my plan to change careers at this
point in my life. But it always comes
down to two things: It has been my
life's goal to get a college degree and
do a job that I love. If I can get paid
to do it, that's icing on the cake. "
Using Their Experience
Not every veteran pursues a university degree to practice in the field of
parks and recreation. Some learn in
the military and then take their experience into the civilian sector.
Dane Matthew of Clear Creek, Colorado, retired in 2009 as a lieutenant
colonel with 20 years of service in the
Air Force. During his military career,
Matthew oversaw the management
of wide variety of services on bases
around the world: food service, lodging, fitness centers, clubs, golf, bowling, skills centers, outdoor recreation
and community centers. For nearly
six years, Matthew served as a MWR

June 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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