Career Day 2012

Wednesday was Career Day at Culver Middle School and I agreed to speak again this year.  I think this is the third year that I have done this and I’m going to recycle my stolen Batman cartoon… just because I really like it!  Ha!  I didn’t have Batman to compete with this year, but Jeff Kenney was discussing the glamorous life of a journalist, so I’m guessing I was shown up.  (Last year it was the police dog handler that I had to compete with.  I’m sure he would have given Jeff a better run for his money!)

I spoke about my degree in Landscape Architecture and my current career in construction.  I discussed the importance of math, verbal & written communication and art in my career.  I discussed the changing community standards and how Landscape Architects influence them.  I discussed why Landscape Architecture is a licensed profession and what that requires.  I also took them through a rough site development plan, so they got a taste of how all those things come together.  I tried to relate that to the various maps in the room since I was presenting in the Geography room.

It’s hard to find time for these things, particularly in the current business climate, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important.  I know that I didn’t know what a Landscape Architect was until I went to college.  (Somehow I don’t think Rob Schneider’s show “Rob” is helping our cause any either, when he starts to describe his job as a Landscape Architect to his new mother in law and she cuts him off with, “Yeah, I get it.  My daughter married a gardener.”)  Hopefully my talk planted a seed in some of their minds that will help them make a decision for or against pursuing a similar career. 

As usual there was a mix of interest in the room ranging from rapt attention to dozing.  I gave the same (similar?) presentation to five groups and the teacher monitoring the class said it was interesting to see where I veered off from the previous presentation.  After doing this the first time I figured out that having at least a rough outline was important since after three or four it gets hard to tell what I’ve said to what group.

All and all it was a good experience.  I would recommend considering accepting if you’re asked to speak.

Oh, and by the way, it’s National Landscape Architecture Month!  I’m sure you knew that, but if you didn’t, I’ve fulfilled an obligation to the profession as well.