A day in the life of:

    Some may think all recreation majors are simply wanna-be sports coaches or physical education teachers. However, a major in recreation offers many career opportunities.
    Chris Podunajec, senior from Lincoln, Ill., is an outdoor recreation major and hopes to work in a public park for an athletic department.
    “I decided to major in outdoor recreation because I like the outdoors and I enjoy sporting activities,” Podunajec said. “I like that outdoor recreation is a small major and you get to know all of the people you have classes with.”
    Many of the outdoor recreation classes are profession- or activity-based rather than lecture.
    “We have a lot of classes dealing with programming, outdoor activities, interpretation and an introduction to the business side of recreation,” Podunajec said.
    Podunajec said the most difficult part of his major is his senior research projects.
    “In our senior-level courses we have to do research projects like papers, surveys and Web site designs,” Podunajec said.
    Many students majoring in outdoor recreation become park managers, do program directing at park districts, large organizations, cruise lines, resorts and become recreation advisors.
    “Recreation is a sea of opportunity, there is a lot you could do with the major,” Podunajec said. “You have to be able to work one on one with people, love the outdoors, be flexible because you won’t ever have a job that is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and you have to work a lot of weekends. You have to be patient with your coworkers and the people you are recreating and you have to be a problem solver.”
    Podunajec said overall the outdoor recreation program at Murray State is a good program with quality professors.
    Jess Nall can be reached at
jessica.nall@murraystate.edu.