My path into higher education has been long and unconventional. I left college in 2004 to build a construction business, spending sixteen years as the owner of Hartling Landscape & Construction.  While running the construction business I earned an Associate of Science in Construction Technology, before transitioning to a role as Project Engineer at Crestmark Millwork. When a shoulder injury in 2024 temporarily sidelined me from fieldwork, I returned to College of the Redwoods to finish another Associate of Science in Drafting and 3D Modeling and ultimately completed my Bachelor of the Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies & Studio Art at Cal Poly Humboldt.  There were a lot of twists and turns on this journey, along which I learned a countless variety of skills, from designing and building a house starting to how to constructively critique fine artwork. 

My focus in returning to finish my bachelor’s degree was being able to use my previous learning and coursework towards a degree that would make sense and be efficient. I was highly encouraged to join the Interdisciplinary Studies program to make the most out of my previous work and tie it all together in a meaningful and productive way.  The idea of being able to create my own
degree pathway and use my wide variety of completed coursework towards a unified end was very motivating, and the most practical way to go.  While re-enrolling at Cal Poly, I was encouraged to declare a second major in Studio Art (which I originally had been) to have better access to the Art Department.  I’m glad I did that because just recently I was asking my Art advisor about grad school options and they found enough of the right kind of classes to make substitutions in my degree planner to complete the art major with existing coursework.  Another interesting twist in my educational pathway; and something that would not have been possible had I not been able to craft my own degree plan focused on visual art.

 I accepted a role teaching Architectural Drafting at College of the Redwoods in fall of 2025, and in regard to that role have incorporated teaching assistant positions into my studies at Cal Poly.  This gives me more immersion in
the subject I am studying as well as 1:1 training experience teaching post
secondary education.  This role has been so useful for my own class and incredibly informative on the ins and outs of working in this field.

Going forward, I would eventually like to complete a terminal degree.  I have been looking at remote MFA and architecture programs, which are terminal and in my field.  From a financial and logistical standpoint, the master’s in education at Cal Poly Humboldt is very promising.  It is not a terminal degree, but it is a steppingstone and very accessible for me right now.