Over the weekend I have been working at the Iroquois Hunt Club in Lexington in both the kennels and with the horses. Its a lot of work and its different to work with more hounds than horses, but its a great experience and everyone is so nice. Mr Miller who owns the place is just an inspiration to what hard work gets you in life. I also had an interview with the WEG for an internship in the operations department. The first thing you see when you walk into the office is a large master plan of the KY horse park, I immediately wanted it for my own room :) They are looking for some more interns to help in the operations department which concerns bids and permits and more of the technical stuff that will be going on for WEG. It sounded really exciting and definitely up my alley, plus I have the horse side to my education that no one else there really had. Hopefully I get it!!!
On another note I have been thinking a lot about eventing and getting a real job and just making it on my own lately. I have so many big plans and ideas that I hope I don't get frustrated with and they end up eventually happening (hopefully sooner than later) One of the things I am currently dealing with is that if you want to be sucessful in the horse world talent will only get you so far, you need money. Events themselves costs at least 2- 3 hundred min and some kids my age go to them every weekend. Thats not including a truck and trailer another 50 grand. Which is my biggest set back right now is that my trailer is 700 miles away from me in CT and I don't have a truck so I am left literally begging for rides and most of the time they never work out. Equally frustrating since Zammy is going so well and hes so talented- and time is the only thing against us and money. I would sell organs in my body for a truck right now. However what is so neat about eventing and the horse world in general is that there is really no age limit and I can see why. Unless you are very very lucky it normally takes 20 -30 - 40 yrs to have the money to buy a talented enough horse, have enough lessons, compete enough for experience, plus all the horse maintence, tack, trailer, gas, etc etc. Its enough to turn anybody against it if they are like me whose family is not in it as well. However this is why I wanted to become an architecture- specifically an equestrian architect. Long ago I decided that I needed to find a niche in the horse world that would make me enough money that I could do the things I love to do with the horses. As much as I would have loved to pursued an equine management major ( not really sure what they even gives you and sounds pretty worthless if you ask me) or to be a workings student like many of my former PC friends, I knew I didn't want to be 30 and living day to day on a pay check and cleaning stalls.
I go home to CT for two weeks on Monday for my sisters high school graduation. I'll be sad to leave zammy and even sadder at how fat hes going to get being turned out 24-7 while im gone since I can't afford full care. Hopefully I'll be able to get him back and maybe do another event?!!! A girl can dream can't she...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Career Goals?
So today I started my first day at an internship at the Kentucky Horse Council. I am taking a hit financially by doing this- because the internship is unpaid and in my opinion slave labor when they are getting the "knowledge and experience" of a college grad- but oh well. The 3 people who work there are super nice and have been very understanding that my main goal with this is to network. We all agreed that in the horse world in order to get anywhere you need to know someone. So when im not looking up counties in KY or fixing their website, hopefully I'll be going to meetings and meeting people who later on might be able to help me with my career.
On a side note: I am making a lot of all the equestrian architecture firms I have found over the last 2 years of hopeless internships. Some of the firms are in DC like Blackburn, which I would DIE to work at and others more out west. CMW is here in Lexington and a few are back home in the Northeast. (not sure how I would feel about moving BACK to CT even if it was for my dream job) I know that in 2 years I need to be ready to accept any and all job offers and be willing to move wherever, even if its cold and I hate the place. So Im getting ready to e-mail a few of the firms and ask how they themselves got started in the business that way in two years I can full on harass them. Sounds like a great plan to me. Also one of the architects from Blackburn has a blog for equestrian architecture- really awesome, go check it out and maybe one day you'll be seeing my designs!
On a side note: I am making a lot of all the equestrian architecture firms I have found over the last 2 years of hopeless internships. Some of the firms are in DC like Blackburn, which I would DIE to work at and others more out west. CMW is here in Lexington and a few are back home in the Northeast. (not sure how I would feel about moving BACK to CT even if it was for my dream job) I know that in 2 years I need to be ready to accept any and all job offers and be willing to move wherever, even if its cold and I hate the place. So Im getting ready to e-mail a few of the firms and ask how they themselves got started in the business that way in two years I can full on harass them. Sounds like a great plan to me. Also one of the architects from Blackburn has a blog for equestrian architecture- really awesome, go check it out and maybe one day you'll be seeing my designs!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Summer 2010 Sneak Peak
So I had this idea that I could create a blog off my personal website that I did last fall. Of course that is a lot harder than what I thought and with most personal websites the blogs are just separate links. So wala here we are. Im going to share a lot of what I find as a student struggling to grow up, find a job, make money, leave home etc etc in this century and economic downturn. I am not finding it easy and figured others thought just the same. I also will share with you my struggles with bringing a horse to college and trying to network in the equestrian world where you are only important when you know someone.
So to start off...and I know my fellow architecture classmates will agree with me that it seems literally every architecture firm is simply not building and thus not hiring. Which leaves all of us in tough spots because unlike medical school the college of design rarely pays for anything never the less tuition which in turn leaves us no choice but to make money over the summer and during the school year. And as the saying goes its the first job that is the hardest because everyone wants experience yet, no one is willing to give us any. I wonder what will happen in 10-20 years when this generation of architects start to retire and my generation is the work force. However we will have limited experience and anyone can tell you there is a lot more to being an architect than school teaches you (probably why we have to do 3 years interning after 6 yrs of school)
On the plus side, there is a firm here in Lexington called CMW, and they specialize specifically in equestrian related design. Which is EXACTLY what I wish to pursue. On the downside they are not hiring and seem to have no projects despite the World Equestrian Games coming to Lexington in less than 150 days. I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope that in 2 yrs when the real world looms that they will be.
So to start off...and I know my fellow architecture classmates will agree with me that it seems literally every architecture firm is simply not building and thus not hiring. Which leaves all of us in tough spots because unlike medical school the college of design rarely pays for anything never the less tuition which in turn leaves us no choice but to make money over the summer and during the school year. And as the saying goes its the first job that is the hardest because everyone wants experience yet, no one is willing to give us any. I wonder what will happen in 10-20 years when this generation of architects start to retire and my generation is the work force. However we will have limited experience and anyone can tell you there is a lot more to being an architect than school teaches you (probably why we have to do 3 years interning after 6 yrs of school)
On the plus side, there is a firm here in Lexington called CMW, and they specialize specifically in equestrian related design. Which is EXACTLY what I wish to pursue. On the downside they are not hiring and seem to have no projects despite the World Equestrian Games coming to Lexington in less than 150 days. I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope that in 2 yrs when the real world looms that they will be.
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