Every year, National Park Week is organized with the goal of raising awareness around the country’s parks and forests.

While the pandemic has significantly increased the number of people who started traveling locally and made a goal to visit as many National Parks as possible, the aim of education about what treasures the country has and how they need to be conserved remains.

Related: These national parks are the most expensive to visit

Ever year, the National Park Service (NPS) also marks the start of National Park Week by waiving the entry fees that many of the parks charge its visitors. This year, free admission is available on April 20 while various activities are organized for the length of the week. 

This is when you can get into Yosemite, Teton and other parks for free

“Love national parks?” the NPS writes in its announcement. “There's a holiday for that! Join us for National Park Week, a nine-day celebration of everything ‘parks.’ Not just about more than 400 national parks nationwide of different shapes, sizes, and types.”

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The entry price of each national park varies (some are free entirely while others only charge for things like parking or camping which would not be waived). Parks like Yosemite in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains and Glacier National Park on the border between Montana and Canada’s British Columbia charge a $35 entry fee per vehicle which will be waived on April 20. 

The fee is lower ($30 per vehicle) in Florida national parks like Everglades and Gulf Islands National Seashore but, regardless of the individual number, will be waived for the day. One will also not have to pay the lower entry fees for those coming by bike or foot.

National Parks are getting crowded and this leads to higher fees

While the waived fee can help some save some money and take advantage of a national park as a large family, visitors have been reporting that parks can get especially crowded during the free days.

As overcrowding has become a persistent issue even during the regular season, many parks across the country have been trying different things to combat it — from raising entry fees to timing when visitors come in.

At the end of March, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State announced that it will soon start requiring those entering through its Paradise Corridor from the Southeast and Sunrise Corridor from the northeast between May and September to register their visit online. 

Earlier in the year, year, Zion National Park in Utah also raised park entry prices from $20 to $35 per night for those wanting to spend the night camping in its Watchman or South Campgrounds.

“Mount Rainier National Park has experienced an approximate 40% increase in visitation over the last 10 years, leading to overcrowding during the summer and damage to fragile ecosystems," the Washington National Park Service said in a statement on the changes. "In 2024, Mount Rainier National Park will implement a pilot timed entry reservation system to improve the visitor experience to the park by reducing wait times, congestion, and resource impacts on trails caused by overcrowding.”

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Quarter Life is a series about issues facing people in their 20s and 30s.

What is a “meaningful career”? It can be doing purpose-driven work that aligns with your values. It may mean finding a working arrangement that balances the different parts of your life. Or it could be a career that gives you the opportunity to be your authentic self, while contributing to the world or improving others’ lives. The answer is different for everyone, and can change over time.

Defining a meaningful career can be difficult enough – but then you need to get there. This is a deeply personal journey that involves identifying your values, passions and interests, and finding environments where you can thrive.

A new survey in the US has found that a sense of purpose at work or in school is the most important driver for gen Zers’ happiness. I recently interviewed 28 millennial and generation Z graduates in the UK about what a meaningful career means to them. All of the participants entered the labour market either during the 2008 financial crisis or the COVID pandemic, making them feel uncertain about their immediate future.

This article is run in partnership with HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest ideas and music festival, which returns to Hay-on-Wye from May 24-27. On Sunday, May 26, The Conversation’s Avery Anapol will host a live event delving into whether “meaningful work” exists in today’s age. Check out the festival’s full line-up of speakers and don’t miss an exclusive 20% off tickets with code CONVO24.

One millennial graduate observed how people in their cohort “took whatever job they could get, then looked around for something else as the market recovered”. A gen Z graduate noted: “The graduate market was so poor due to COVID-19 that it was just a case of taking any job that was offered.”

In other words, the economic environment they found themselves in meant they didn’t always have the flexibility to prioritise meaning in their job search.

Millennials and gen Zers both spoke of valuing a collaborative and inclusive work environment. They wanted employers to prioritise their wellbeing by managing workloads and giving them autonomy to do their work. Access to training and development, a competitive salary package and career progression opportunities all featured prominently in the interviews. Both groups also spoke of the need to feel that their work contributed value to the organisation or broader society.

I also uncovered differences between millennials and gen Zers about what they want from a meaningful career. However, these had more to do with life stages than generational labels.

Gen Zers felt that because of the pandemic, “there was so much uncertainty” – so they wanted “somewhere that had a bit more job security and stability”. They also felt a well-known employer with a good reputation “was safer in terms of job security during the pandemic”.

Millennials, now having children and “settling down”, placed greater emphasis on wanting a shorter commute and reducing the amount of physical travel for work. They were more likely to call for “family-friendly policies”, although women from both age groups discussed this more than men.

People prioritise different things in work depending on their life stages, and as things like caregiving responsibilities enter the picture. Your definition of a “meaningful” career might change over your lifespan.

Finding a meaningful career

Once you’ve determined what a meaningful career would look like for you, there are steps you can take to plan for and develop it. Remember, it is an ongoing process to align your career with your values, passions and interests, and it is perfectly normal for these to evolve over time.

1. Consider your environment

Think about how the physical space of work can help you thrive. For example, I’m a disabled and housebound millennial, so hybrid or in-person simply does not work for me. To do meaningful work, it has to happen at home. In contrast, if you live on your own or in a house-share with no space to work, you may find meaning from in-person interactions and seek out a role where you can be around other people.

2. Keep learning

Education does not have to begin or end with formal schooling. Commit to lifelong learning by embracing personal development throughout your career. Consider upskilling or reskilling opportunities, and alternative career paths.

I used to work in technology as a project manager. While I learned a lot, the work did not fulfil a sense of purpose and meaning for me. I retrained and pivoted into recruitment – helping graduates find internships and job opportunities gave me meaning, as I could see the outcome it had on people’s lives.

3. Build your network

You may not find or build a meaningful career all on your own. Developing an expansive network of contacts can give you insight into other industries, organisations or roles, and may help you access new opportunities in the future. You may want to meet with a career counsellor or find a mentor. Qualified career counsellors can be a wealth of information and support – as can friends, family and colleagues.

4. Be authentic and flexible

Because meaningful work is so personal, you have to have a strong sense of your own values – and stay true to them. Research shows there are many mental and physical benefits to having a purpose. If you know your values and purpose, you can align your work with your authentic self.

If you are trying to figure out what your values are or are stuck in a role that doesn’t align with them, do not panic. It’s never too late to make a change. As my own and my participants’ experiences show, not every job you take will be perfectly matched with your values. That’s OK. You can still learn skills and use this time to refine what a meaningful career means to you.

And if the reality of a situation does not meet your expectations, do not be afraid to try something new, or look for meaning outside of work.

A fan of cutting-edge debate and putting ideas at the centre of public life? Then you won’t want to miss HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest ideas and music festival this spring. Returning to Hay-on-Wye from May 24-27, the event will convene world-leading thinkers and Nobel prize-winners including David Petraeus, Roger Penrose, Daniel Dennett, Amy Chua, Peter Singer and Sophie Scott-Brown. A remedy to online echo-chambers, the festival unites speakers across disciplines to chart tangible solutions to the crises of our era.

And don’t miss The Conversation’s live event at the festival on Sunday, May 26 with Avery Anapol delving into whether “meaningful work” exists in today’s age. We’re delighted to offer 20% off tickets with the code CONVO24. Get discounted tickets here.

William E. Donald does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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The most common tick found on humans in Georgia is the lone star tick — an aggressive seeker of blood that can spread dangerous pathogens through its bites.

Credit: Emory University

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