9/14/2011 3:09 PM
I was a Superintendent from 1987 to 2008. I loved the first 10 years because I was out on the course with the staff, operating equipment, and actively involved in the day to day operations. The last 10 were spent as a Director at a multi-course facility and I spent more time in my office forecasting revenue and expenditures then I did on the course forecasting disease and insect pressure. The position became more about economics than agronomics. What I loved about the job when I started was no longer a part of the job.
This is a difficult industry. It is a challenge to find that work-life balance. The last three years I have spent the weekends traveling the country with my wife and daughter, coaching her travel softball team. I'm closer to her than I ever was with my son, simply due to the amount of time I have been able to spend with her. If I could have found a Superintendent position that would allow me to have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, I would have looked a little harder.
That being said, now that she is finsihing her last year of high school and going on to play in college, where she has a real coach, I would return to being a Superintendent tomorrow. The problem I have now though is the 50 year old Superintendent is an endangered species. If you are just getting into the business and think it's difficult finding a job, try it at 50, after being out for a couple of years.