Shane Bowers planned a Parent's Night Out event for his senior project to explore potential careers in event planning and education, though he has since decided to pursue radiology. The event gave parents an evening out while volunteers watched the children. Budget was an important factor that Shane had to consider. Though the event was a success, planning and caring for children confirmed that those careers are not right for him. He is glad he did the project but found he did not enjoy it.

1. 1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
18 April 2012
Judges, Senior Project
Creekview High School
1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
Dear Judges:
My name is Shane Bowers and I go to Creekview High School. When the Senior Project was
introduced, I immediately began thinking of projects I could do that would somehow relate to
either of the career choices I was interested in. I considered teaching an elementary school class
or doing something with the C.A.R.E.S. program (Creekview Athletes Reading to Elementary
School Students) that I am already participating in because I was interested in going into
Childhood/ Elementary Education. I also considered planning a wedding shower or a baby
shower for members at my church because I was interested in Event Planning as well. In the end,
I chose to plan and conduct a Parent’s Night Out at my church, which gave parents the
opportunity to have a night to themselves while volunteers and I watched the children. Though I
focused on Event Planning, this project combined elements from both careers, and I was eager to
get some experience in both fields. While the project fit my possible career choices at the time, I
have since changed my goals and am looking forward to pursuing a career in Radiology.
In my research paper, I explored the importance of budget in Event Planning and the effects it
had on both clients and planners. I found that many people, especially parents, are willing to go
into debt while planning an event for the entertainment and status that goes along with it. I also
discovered, however, that there are also several ways to dramatically reduce the costs of any
event. While planning the Parent’s Night Out, budget became a very important factor to me and
helped me realize just how important it is to event planners. I ran into a problem with budget
while trying to purchase all of the materials for my event, because I did not have a definite
number of children to buy for. I had to estimate how much of each material I would need to buy
and hope that it was enough. Other obstacles that I encountered while planning the event
included a child that had severe allergies to peanuts, children that did not register for Parent’s
Night out until the day of the event, and my facilitator’s wife’s battle with breast cancer, all of
which were overcome and taken care of.
The Parent’s Night Out related to Event Planning and Childhood/ Elementary Education, which
allowed me to sample both careers at once. My research paper, however, was focused completely
on Event Planning and how budget is involved. Through my research and my experience, I found
that Event Planning is not a career that I want to pursue, and neither is Childhood/ Elementary
Education. Both careers would require that I be outgoing, energetic, and extremely driven. While
I can be driven to finish or accomplish tasks, I am rather quiet and shy, the exact opposite of
what these jobs need. After Parent’s Night Out, I was talking to a mother who was picking up her

2. child about her career as an ultrasound technician, and after hours of research, I plan to pursue a
career in Radiology at the College of Coastal Georgia this fall.
The Parent’s Night Out was a good idea and turned out great, but it is not something I would
choose to plan again. It gave me the experience that I was looking for, and was fun for the
children and the parents, but showed me that planning and taking care of children are not for me.
I am glad to have accomplished the project, however, I did not particularly enjoy it. Thank you
for your time and allowing me to share my senior project with you.
Sincerely,
Shane Bowers