Entertainment

What's The Perfect Job For 'Parks And Rec's April?

by Marisa LaScala

Tom Haverford found his passion for high-end dining. Andy Dwyer found his passion for combining martial arts and children's music. Ben Wyatt's found his dream job (that doesn't involve board-game design) and Leslie Knope found — well, always had — a passion (more like obsession) for good government. But, on Season 7 of Parks and Recreation , April Ludgate is looking to find something she truly loves doing. So, what should April's new job be?

First, let's talk about what she's good at. Her main skill is something you can't give a degrees in: the ability to completely stonewall people. It's actually really hard. Even Leslie can't really do it — when she hears an impassioned argument for something, no matter how unreasonable it is, she always tries to make people feel like they've been heard. April harbors no such desire, so she'd be good at a job where she tells people they aren't going to get what they want.

You think that'd make her perfect for a job where people are always mean and surly. But, deep down, I think April truly has a desire to help people. I feel like that's why she was drawn to an internship with Leslie to begin with, and why she wanted to work at the animal shelter later. She's altruistic deep down.

Here, some jobs that can make use of that prickly altruism.

Guidance Counselor

I know it seems wrong to take someone who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and get her to help teenagers figure out what they want to do with their lives, but hear me out. High school students always try to push the buttons of their teachers and administrators, and April will have none of that. And, if there's anyone mean enough to terrify teenagers into getting their college essays in, it's April. She can use her surliness for a good cause.

Cop

I know this was Andy's lifelong dream, but he seems to be doing OK without it. Then again, maybe I just want April to become a cop so she can have a crossover episode with Brooklyn Nine-Nine and hang out with another surly, kickass woman, Rosa Diaz. But April's tough enough to be a cop, and, her going into law enforcement means there'd be an opportunity for the resurgence of Burt Macklin (which always a good thing).

Puppy Socializer

This is not something I made up. Organizations like Guiding Eyes for the Blind have people socialize or even raise puppies so they can be trained to become guide dogs. The actual socializing/raising is done on a volunteer basis, so, for April to make a career out of it, she'd have to coordinate the program or do something like that. But it would combine her desire to help people with her love of animals. And who can argue against puppies?

Parks Employee

Sure, April's not sure she wants to do work in government forever. It makes sense for her to question it: She did sort of fall into that job before she had a chance to explore any other careers. But working for the government does combine a desire to help people with the chance to be completely prickly to them. And she might not be as effusive in her love of parks as Leslie is, but April's under-enthusiasm is a good balance for Leslie's over-enthusiasm. I have a feeling her career change might be no career change at all.

Images: Colleen Hayes/NBC; Giphy (3); lettersandnumerals/Tumblr