Yesterday, Colin and I were lucky enough to visit Apalachee High School in Winder, GA to talk about our careers in Web site design and development. Every year, Apalachee sponsors a career day and invites local businesses to come and speak to sophomore students. Plexus was invited to speak alongside other technology-based professionals. Stephanie asked/insisted that I visit the school so the kids could relate to somebody who is a little closer to their age. I was hesitant at first, remembering what my fellow classmates were like in high school. An outsider wouldn't have lasted more than 5 minutes in the mean halls of Dunwoody High School. Taking a deep breath, I set aside my fear and set off to Winder.

Upon arriving at Apalachee, I was very shocked at what I saw. There were kids walking around with boomboxes on their shoulders blaring the hip hop. Some were breakdancing in the middle of the hallway, while others were spraying graffiti on the walls. Actually, this is what I was expecting to find. The reality was very different. The campus itself was very impressive and appeared fairly new. The welcoming staff was also very genial. They led us to the room we would be speaking in and Colin and I started on our gameplan. We were going to go with a Scared Straight approach to give the kids some insight into the harsh world of design and development. We didn't get too far.

At last minute, the coordinator of the career day asked me if I would switch to the Arts and Humanities session since only one speaker showed up. I immediately said yes, feeling much more comfortable speaking about a field which I have more experience in and knowledge of. I was paired with another speaker who is also a graphic designer and has owned her own company for 18 years. We took turns speaking to rooms of about 30 to 40 sophomores. As expected, most of the students were staring at walls, the ceiling, or anything that might have been remotely distracting. Some were obviously listening to their iPods, nodding their heads to music. Others had a blank expression on their faces as if they had fallen asleep with their eyes open.

After speaking, we asked the room if anyone had any questions for us. The classroom was not very responsive, also not a big surprise. I chose to ask the students who was honestly interested in becoming a graphic designer, or wanted to pursue a career in the arts. There were several students who raised their hand. I asked them what they wanted to do as a designer. Some wanted to do print design, while a couple wanted to work as video game designers. This made me a little relieved to know that there is a future in graphic design, and that kids at such a young age are already interested in design. I told them that when I was a sophomore, I had no idea what graphic design was, and that they are already ahead of the game.

One of the main points I tried to stress was to love what you do. I didn't say anything corny or cliche like "Reach for the stars, because the sky's the limit". Nothing stupid like that........so stupid. I emphasized the fact that you need to have passion in your career, whether it be in graphic design, science, or any and every other job in the world. Even though I was reluctant at first, I am glad that I was able to tell these kids about my experiences and maybe some of them actually listened. Andrew's good deed for the year: CHECK!