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Central Minnesota's Game of Careers

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Recreation Attendant

Description of job: Perform variety of attending duties at amusement or recreation facility. May schedule use of recreation facilities, maintain and provide equipment to participants of sporting events or recreational pursuits, or operate amusement concessions and rides.

At ski hills, bowling alleys, water slides, and golf courses, and other places people go for fun and sport, amusement and recreation attendants operate equipment and help guests enjoy themselves. Attendants sell tickets and collect fees from customers. They rent equipment such as go-karts, tennis rackets, and boats, and make sure customers know how to operate vehicles and equipment safely and properly. Many also operate concession stands, games, and rides, and make sure guests are safe and know the rules. Customer service skills are an important part of the job; attendants provide a lot of information about schedules, policies, and directions. They often encourage participation and purchases. Many are responsible for collecting attendance and totaling up receipts. Attendants also clean facilities and equipment, and keep them maintained, for example placing markings on sports fields, or smoothing ice at rinks after use. Some positions include scheduling the use of equipment and facilities. Attendants typically have no specific education or training requirements and do not require previous work experience.

Related Careers: Lifeguards and Ski Patrollers, Counter and Rental Clerks, Ushers and Ticket Takers, Animal Trainers, Religious Activities Directors & Recreation Workers
Sources: Minnesota CAREERwise & CareerOneStop

Typical Job ActivitiesSkills & KnowledgeAve Wage/Job OutlookEducation & Training

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

  • Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
  • Communicate with management or other staff to resolve problems.
  • Assist patrons with entering or exiting vehicles or other forms of transportation.
  • Clean facilities or work areas.
  • Clean tools or equipment.
  • Provide attraction or event information to patrons.
  • Provide patrons with directions to locales or attractions.
  • Arrange facility schedules.
  • Maintain knowledge of business operations.
  • Monitor operational quality or safety.

Typical Working Conditions

  • Frequent contact with others.
  • Standing.
  • Responsibility for others’ health and safety.
  • Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
  • The importance of being accurate or exact.
  • Dealing with external customers.
  • Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
  • Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.
  • Freedom to make decisions without supervision.

Tools & Technology used by Recreational Attendants

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Recreational Attendants

  • Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Operating Equipment—Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
  • Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Recreational Attendants

  • Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Economics and Accounting—Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Personnel and Human Resources—Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

  • Enterprising—Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Wages Per Hour For Recreation Attendants (MN)
Low

$11.64

Median

$12.22

High

$14.94

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing moderate growth compared to other careers. There will be a -1.4% growth for Recreational Attendants to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career requires at least a high school degree. This career does not require a license (unless working at at pool but there are certifications are helpful for growth in some industries.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

  • Accounting
  • Business Management
  • Culinary Arts
  • Economics
  • Foods and Nutrition
  • Health and Wellness
  • Marketing
  • Public Speaking
  • Sociology
  • Team Sports
  • World Geography
  • World Language

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

 



Take a look around Baxter’s Holiday Inn & 3 Bear Waterpark without getting wet! (3D 360 photo courtesy of Bob Pederson, Distinctive Properties of Minnesota)

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  • Guest Services Specialist
  • Massage Therapist
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  • Resort Manager
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FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS & PARTNERS

PARTNERS

Brainerd Lakes Chamber logo        Central Lakes College logo

FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS & PARTNERS

This virtual career exploration experience is financially supported in part by Sourcewell and the Central Minnesota Perkins Consortium, with the partnership of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber and  Central Lakes College.


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Bridges/Brainerd Lakes Chamber
224 West Washington Street, Brainerd, MN 56401


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