03.21.2016Architecture, Business Practice
SPARC Participates in Swain County HS Career Day
SPARC Design was invited to participate in Swain County High School’s Career Day this year. The morning was a great reminder of the following:
- It’s always important to be able to explain what we do in simple terms.
- Seeing young minds (even if just a handful) get energized about architecture and design is fuel for the soul.
- Taking a few hours and changing up the work routine is restorative to encourage a happier and more productive work routine!
Below is a quick photo essay showing the morning:
Swain County High School is situated with some pretty spectacular mountain views all around. I had forgotten, however, the frantic parking lot situation at the beginning of the school morning. Lucky for me, I gave myself plenty of time!
I was in the CAD classroom and learned that they are working with Autocad and Sketchup. They had some residential models and building blocks which was really fun to see.
The entire high school selected the careers that most interested them and then were assigned given their top 3. I presented for 20 minutes to three separate groups interested in architecture. I spoke about applying to architecture schools; something several students were in the process of doing. I brought examples of construction drawings, and shared how we don’t call them ‘blueprints’ anymore (despite Hollywood’s persistence). I presented a few of our projects and was very happy to receive questions, such as “How long did that project take to design and construct?” (The answer..the construction always takes longer than you think!)
On the way out, I snapped a shot of their Makerbot 3d printer. Great to see that in their CAD classroom.
After our three student sessions were done, SCHS offered really nice refreshments and mingling among all Career Day participants. Overall, feedback was very positive from all speakers.
Thanks Swain County High School for inviting SPARC to participate in this year’s Career Day Event!
