Ryan’s final reflections

PolyHouse.  A word that I will always remember.  To some it might mean stress.  To others it might mean hard labor.  So many things can be summed up in that one word.  Before I walked into the Technological Project Management classroom for the first time at the beginning of this quarter, if anyone had asked me if I’d ever heard of PolyHouse before, I would have replied by saying that it was just the name of some class at Cal Poly.  Now that we have reached the end, I have come to realize all of the different meanings that this word truly carries.

PolyHouse –noun

1. A real-world large-scale project
2. A calling to step out of one’s comfort zone
3. A three-month teambuilding event
4. A building block for a future career
5. An unforgettable opportunity to give to others

Looking back over the course of this past quarter, I have realized so many things.  I have seen both my strengths and weaknesses come pouring out, as myself and the rest of my classmates were put face to face with one of the largest projects in which most of us had ever taken part.  In the end, setting aside the metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears that our team put into this project, I look back at a successful mission that not only gave a deserving family a higher quality of life but a mission that also taught each and every one of us something about ourselves which we will never forget.  Those two items alone made PolyHouse 2010 worth every ounce of my time, money, and effort.

So, in the future, if anyone ever asks me if I’ve heard of a class called PolyHouse, I’ll just smile and ask them if they are ready for one of the longest stories they have ever heard.

-Ryan