Pros
-Learned a lot about Canada's natural and historic treasures and had the honour of sharing these with Canadians and people from around the world. Salary was decent. -Opportunities to work outside (depending on the position) -If you are open to travelling, doing so can be a good way to gain advancement opportunities -Getting a job at Parks Canada can open doors for other jobs in the Government of Canada
Cons
-In 2 years, I was assigned to 6 different managers while I had the same position -In 5 years, I only had one annual performance review -The void of permanent management led to poor representation in senior staff meetings and aggressive and belittling treatment from managers working for HQ which created a culture of fear. -The missed performance reviews resulted in missed opportunities for career advancement while staff from other Field Units were regularly deployed or assigned to fill positions I could have been promoted to. -Parks Canada's Agency status limits its employees opportunities in other parts of the Government of Canada. -Field Unit positions can be classified at a lower salary than comparable HQ positions. (i.e. a $13,416 salary difference between Communications Officers or $10,597 for Planners) -Needlessly hierarchical which can bruise egos and waste time when efficiency is prioritized over the chain of command (true of many Government of Canada orgs)