Dave at Carnegie Mellon

Leaving Home

After leaving my small town of Liberty, New York, I headed to Pittsburgh, PA to attend Carnegie Mellon University as an architecture major. This went well for about two months. Then I started to discover the ideas I had about architecture didn't really gel with the department. My first semester grades were pathetic. Second semester wasn't any better. I discovered something during that year. I like having lots of friends and staying up late and hanging out, I don't like homework or going to class. Another thing I found out; Architecture may not be the profession I should go into.

Just because I love the buildings and concepts doesn't mean I can design and develop them. The last project I worked on is a scale model of the house I hope to build for myself someday. I figure that is enough architecture for one man. My sophomore year I moved from the College of Fine Arts to the School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon. Business just made sense to me. My grades improved by over 400% (yes I was doing that bad before) and I enjoyed what I was learning.

I started as a Teaching Assistant for Chad Hermann in the fall of 1997. I TA'ed all three of his sections and learned ever more each year. Chad has the rare ability to repeat the same information to people and make it sound new each time through his use of rhetoric. About this time I decided on my focus with Business Administration. I created a self defined major in Business Communications. I believe one of the most important qualities of a successful company is good communication.

This is a picture of the front of the College of Fine Arts. Inside and out the building is beautiful, this picture doesn't really do it justice. Click on the picture for a view looking from the front of this building out.

Freshman year I lived in Hammerschlag Hall. Like all freshman it is hard to keep a room clean with all other activities one can enjoy. I have written down a couple of these stories if you are interested.