Phil Carmichael
What I No Longer Know:
My CFE was with the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Classical Garden. The Garden was built with materials, tools and techniques that would have been available during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). My first job there was to classify label and display traditional Chinese woodworking tools for a museum display and then install it, it was challenging and fun.
My second job there was to document existing and potential damage to the facility and then to make recommendations of how to fix it and what priority level each issue was in terms of it’s likelihood to get worse. I have always had a personal interest in different cultures traditions of apprenticeship, as well as natural and heritage building techniques, like making tile from earthen clay etc.
I always believed my interest was just an indulgence of my own personal hobby, and not useful to anyone else, but it turns out that I actually have a very specialized skill set that is valuable in heritage conservation. I no longer know that my hobbies are worthless.
Why Is it Important:
I was surprised that a nerdy interest of mine is helpful to other people. I became a welder and then a teacher because I didn’t have the creativity to imagine that a job like Heritage Conservationist actually exists. While I do not regret my decision to become a shop teacher, and I would NEVER tell a student to not follow their dreams, I am more open minded to the idea that a person can design their own ideal job and find financial security in it. I have been told that Garden Heritage Conservationist (especially classical Asian gardens) is a job title that nobody in North America holds, but one is sorely needed, which is kind of cool.