My perseverance to become a “new professional” is guided by my intimate connection with my field of study. The Shreckhise’s have been in the nursery and landscaping industry for over 100 years now. While I had the option of continuing the family tradition and working for the family business after graduating my B.S. in Horticulture, I chose to pursue academia. Why? The nursery industry is facing some of the same problems they encountered 50 years ago. If I really wanted to influence this industry for which I am so passionate, I couldn’t be selling trees and trimming shrubs all day. I realized this after getting a taste of research as an undergraduate. We were trying to use urea—an inexpensive nitrogen fertilizer—for production of containerized nursery crops. It didn’t take long to realize that my research could potentially improve the profitability of nursery crop sales, thus benefiting the family business.
Parker Palmer asserts that as “new professionals” we should know how to “mine [our] emotions for knowledge.” While it may seem silly, I sometimes think back to my days working at the nursery and try to recall some of the most inefficient, back-breaking tasks I was ever assigned, and use these memories as research inspiration. In applied nursery crop research, our job is to make nurseries more profitable and more efficient. This is one possible way (while very literal) I can “mine my emotions for knowledge.”
Do you think that your position within your family also helped guide your decision (i.e., did siblings that continued the dynasty ease your choice)? What if you had been an only child? I’m just curious, because reading through your post, I somewhat perceived the daunting choice you had, and wonder what my own decision would have been in a similar situation.
Also, it seems that you have the particular advantage to not only mine your emotions, but also mine very applicable and particular experiences to further your path.
You bring up a good point. Since my brother and cousin will eventually take over the business, I did feel like I had a choice. Had I been an only child, the decision would have been much more difficult, and I doubt I would be in grad school right now.
Your right–I love being able to reference my past experiences in my teaching. However, I have to remember that the way we run the business isn’t the only way. In other words, I have to remind my students (and myself) that the way “Shreckhise Shrubbery” operates isn’t the be-all and end-all.
I really like your post and I think it touches on the importance of connecting different fields/professions/ways of thinking. I think that many researchers are very removed from the “real world,” and sometimes, they like it that way. But your experience actually working in horticulture, which is quite a different activity than research, will make you a better researcher because it gives you such great insight into the needs of the industry! One thing I hate about grad school is it’s obsessively field and discipline-focused, but I think if we got more opportunities to explore different anythings (different fields, or practical experiences), it would improve our educations and our skills as professionals.
Thanks so much for your comment, Kate! Even after reading an article in some of the “applied research” journals, I’ll think to myself, “how in the world with this information actually improve the nursery industry?” Or, more specifically, “how will my Dad benefit from this information?”
Thanks for the post! I thought it was awesome that you chose a different approach to pursue your dreams. You never gave up the tradition per se, but you still pursued your dream in a unique way. Thanks for the post.
Thanks, Sarah! Cody brought up a good point (see above). Had I not had an older brother to take over the family business, my decision would have been much more difficult. I certainly could have joined him in the business, but I didn’t feel the pressure to “carry on the legacy.”
So cool! I like how your experience gave you the context and exposure to have the chance to “mine emotions for knowledge” in a way that I and most just wouldn’t be able to in this area.
Thanks for your comment!
Great way to find the relation between your field of study and what your are passionate about. While I was doing my master in Puerto Rico there was a student that went through the same situation where he decided to pursue his master degree in structural engineering because he wanted to find useful ways to use bamboo for construction. His family believes that we should find a way to live with the nature without wasting it resources. Long story short, he finished his master and now is currently spreading his knowledge in the island and promoting this type of environmentally friendly construction.
What a great story, Freddie. In this case your colleague was even fulfilling his family’s dream, which probably fueled his passion for his masters work.