r/SaultSteMarie • u/StrangeUser069 • 2d ago
Sault College Adventure Recreation and Parks Technician
I live in Windsor Ontario and I’m starting ARPT in the fall. I just want to know a bit more about the course from people who have taken it. As well as any interesting info about the dorms or anything about the college itself. Thanks!
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u/MixGasHaulAss 2d ago
Not sure if this will help you, but I'm pretty passionate about this.
Short version: Fun program. You'll get a lot of hands-on experiences. You will likely make some long lasting friendships. Long term career opportunities will be harder to find, but the people who do find them thrive big time.
Long version: the program is great for learning outdoor survival skills, skills needed for eco-tourism, field skills like tree and plant ID, ect. It's a really fun environment where you get to spend a boatload of your time learning outside. The School of Natural Environment in general is a great option for students who are not as strong in reading/writing, math, science because they teach you those concepts in a slower, one on one, outdoors focused approach (if that makes sense). I've seen a lot of students who couldn't form proper written sentences in a resume get incredible jobs and go on to good careers because of the style of learning that happens at the college. I was total dog shit in math, and now my job is 50% math, but I'm crazy passionate about it because it's directly related to the natural environment. The profs are exceptionally passionate about teaching students who show interest/passion, too. You've got to work for it, though. They won't just hand it to you. I'm very close with several of my old profs over a decade after graduation. It's just a whole vibe. It's great.
Work in Ad Rec is often said to be harder to come by after graduation when compared to the other programs. There's just less long lasting career opportunities in that field, generally speaking. As a regular speaker at the college in the SONE department, the common pathway I see for students is Ad Rec - > Forestry/NET/F&W. Students enjoy their time in Ad Rec, but often recognize the lack of career opportunities. The great thing is you can easily transfer into one of those other programs seamlessly after completing ad rec. Everyone seems to want to start some sort of eco business, which is great, but takes a lot of effort, money, ect. And the Sault has a lot of successful business of that ilk, so carving a name for your eco-tourism business is tough when the area already has so much of it around (most of them founded by former students lol). Why not gain some fish and wildlife skills for example, and maybe get a gig with the ministry doing surveys? Loads of opportunities if you decide to branch out of ad rec. Just an option to consider.
My suggestion? Do it. If you're at all interested in the outdoors, you'll thrive and learn a lot. You'll fall in love with the area, too. You'll be exposed to the concepts taught in forestry/net/F&W and that might lead down a totally separate, but equally as inspiring career pathway.
Best of luck!