Career Day at Morganton Day School

I had the privilege of being a presenter for Career Day at Morganton Day School. The K-8 students wanted to know what type of IB profile that my career involved: Thinker, Communicator, Caring, Principled, Open-Minded, Risk Taker, Inquirer, Balanced, Knowledgeable, Reflective.  As each grade passed by my table, I had to make sure the students realized my representation of “Entrepreneur—Residential Construction/Renovations” included all those things.

I introduced our company, Vision Design Build Remodel, and our design/build process. After viewing examples of real floor plans, the students were encouraged to draw their own house plans on paper. With the older students I described design software and how we use ‘CAD’ programs for drawing. I explained how proper planning and design is vital for building a good project. The middle school had actually been studying about this type of new technology. They really seemed to catch on when I related our design software to a video game called Minecraft.

Simple things like doorway widths and level countertops are usually taken for granted. So one thing all the students discussed was what would happen if a cereal bowl were placed on a slanting countertop. We used a real level to demonstrate how to use the tool. I showed them examples of several other tools as well. The best part was allowing the students to drive nails into boards. Some had never seen a hammer before! They enjoyed wearing hard hats and safety glasses while they pounded the nails.

It is my hope that this presentation will inspire at least one of those students to pursue a career in my great industry!