Career Advice on How to Become An Amusement and Recreation Attendant

General Career Information

Working as an amusement or recreation attendant is certainly not for the faint of heart.  The only thing more daunting than riding many of the poorly constructed and maintained rides at amusement parks, is having to deal with the hordes of buffoons the stand in line to play Russian Roulette with their lives.  Of course, not all amusement or recreation attendants work amusement parks, carnivals or fairs, some employees in this category work in other recreation areas, such as the ever popular skating rink, bowling alley, batting cages or ski areas.

The experience of those who work at an amusement park is likely to be quite different from those who work in recreational facilities such as bowling alleys.  Usually, there is less chance for a decapitation or other serious injury at a bowling alley.  However, there are always those “completely unforeseeable incidents” at amusement parks.

Career Facts:

Often amusement or recreation attendants are teenagers who are in high school or just recently graduated.  College students are also well represented within the ranks of the amusement or recreation attendant.  These attendants work to make sure that basic services are maintained and customers are able to get on and off of the death traps disguised as rides at amusement parks. 

At bowling alleys and skating rinks, where the specter of death and severe injury are less pervasive, it is common to see the amusement or recreation attendant standing around pretending that they are doing something.  Often this will involve looking down behind the counter as if they are checking inventory.  In reality this makes for a great texting opportunity where various forms of nonsense can be exchanged with peers who they will later grow to hate for trivial reasons that at the time seem important.

Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Very Good:

A Day in The Life:

Whether working at an amusement park and helping feel the pockets of an “evil mouse” or working at a bowling alley or skating rink, the amusement or recreation attendant will be working with the public to process them through the facility, pump them full of fun and extrude them out the other side.  They may also be called upon to evaluate the general safety of equipment, which should scare us all, and even supervise less experienced employees. 

The largest percentage of amusement or recreation attendants can be found working in the state of Florida.  This is due largely to the numerous amusement parks that litter the state’s landscape and provide a wide-array of low paying, dead end jobs.

Average Salary:

$17k

Career Training and Qualifications: