No. 3.1: SEARCH FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
After spending some time with myself away from an environment that felt like a burden, I started taking the steps to move into what I thought was next for me. I always knew I wanted to return to school to receive my master’s degree. However, I wasn’t sure of the subject I wanted to pursue. I already had my Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering so I wanted to continue on that path.
Urban Planning was a field I found myself gravitating towards. I started researching programs to get a better idea of what type of classes would be included in a graduate program for planning. In doing so, I could feel the spark in me come back to the surface. Unfortunately, there was a slight problem. The programs I was researching were at universities in the US but I live overseas. Now, yes there are online graduate programs but I am a hands on person. I wanted to be in a classroom interacting with my professors and classmates. With that, I thought well maybe there is a graduate program in a city near me. I was ecstatic to find out that there was a university local to me. I made an appointment to talk with one of the professors. I was ready to get started. Unfortunately to my disappointment the program was full-time and classes were only offered during the day. I battled with myself because although I was ready to move to the next stage in my career, I couldn’t just leave my current job. Long story short, leaving my position at that time would leave a lot of benefits on the table. Not exactly a smart move without a back up plan. So I kept searching. Starting and stopping and starting again.
In my research, I noticed that historic preservation was included in several planning curricula, whether as a specific concentration or offered as a graduate certificate. I became intrigued and the more I researched, the more I noticed how important the study of historic preservation was to the field of planning. I took some time to contemplate how I wanted to proceed. It wasn’t exactly feasible for me to enter a graduate program in person. I didn’t feel comfortable trying to complete a full-time graduate program online but taking courses online was the most viable option. Then it hit me. Just take an online program for historic preservation. Granted I wouldn’t get the hands on experience that I would most desire; however it would be a place to get started. I wouldn’t be burdened with a heavy course load and I would still be able to maintain my lifestyle.
That is how I was introduced to the Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program through the University of Kentucky. As I type this, I am reminded that I just recently completed the course requirement to receive my certificate. With only a requirement of four courses, two mandatory and two electives, I found myself inspired. I felt as though I was slowly but surely finding my way to what it was that I truly desired to do in my professional career. Within the program, I was exposed to a ton of information about how to preserve certain construction materials and all of the in’s and out’s of preservation law. The joy I felt in developing a preservation plan for a site truly filled a void in me. The most exciting result of the program is that it inspired me to start Preservation In Color. I will touch on that more later.
I have yet to decide if I will still pursue a full-time program for urban planning or even historic preservation. However in the meantime, I did get a promotion at work to transfer into the planning section! I get to take professional training for historic preservation, conduct building assessments as well as work on a preservation project. Furthermore I received a scholarship from the Association of American University Women to assist with paying for the graduate certificate program. This really was a moment of feeling as though I was moving in the right direction. I knew I was making the right decisions for myself. In the midst of all of this, I did get into the Alabama A&M University’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. At one point, I was thinking of giving up my current lifestyle to pursue studies in planning. That’s a story for another day. So all in all, the pursuit of my studies worked out for me.
