Also called: Field Instructor (wilderness therapy)
Lives in the backcountry with groups of struggling teens, supporting therapy through camping, hiking, and survival skills.
Guides spend 8-day shifts in the wilderness with teens, teaching fire-building and outdoor skills while supporting therapists. It's emotionally demanding but meaningful.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's degree often preferred; Wilderness First Responder.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Psychology, Outdoor Recreation, Social Work.
Growing about average. Steady.
Low risk for 10 years. Supporting struggling teens in the backcountry depends on human relationships.
Age 21+. One way to start: Take a Wilderness First Responder course and apply to wilderness therapy programs First: Wilderness First Responder (about 9 days); most programs want age 21+
Classes: AP Psychology, Physical education, Health.
Official data: O*NET occupation 21-1093.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.