Best Job in the World

Author: Katlyn Cotton
Apr 08, 2008

I often tell clients, students and audiences that I have the best job in the world — and that is no exaggeration. Every year I get to visit a hundred or so communities throughout the United States, and in recent years a dozen or so countries.

And here’s what I do — I go in, pretend I know what I’m talking about, and leave. No responsibility, no implementation, no follow through. Who could have a better job than that? And that’s probably just as well, because I really don’t have many skills. But I do have one — I’m a very good note taker. I see what people are trying to do, what seems to work, what doesn’t, and from those notes I make lists. That’s what I really am — a list maker.But I’ve recently realized that I’m being a bit selfish with what I’m learning, that there ought to be a way to more widely distribute these great lessons. A blog may be it. So I’ll give it a shot. While my clients pay me to come to their community, I nearly always learn more from them than they from me. And so I hope to translate what’s being done in downtown revitalization, historic preservation, and economic development in any given community to a larger context. That will probably be in the form of lists.

So read, comment, refute, or add as you see fit. I know there are lots of lessons being learned in places I don’t get to visit first hand, so I’d love to hear them.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any ideas you throw my way.

rypkema

Check out our social media

Heritage Strategies International