Allan Barajas, Project Manager

Allan Barajas grew up right next to Phillips Park in Aurora, Illinois and attended East Aurora High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Today, Allan works as a Project Manager in the Planning Department of the Naperville Park District. In this role, he manages multiple capital projects across the Park District including renovations to playgrounds, trails, sports fields, and more. Recently, Allan has begun assisting with the development of grant applications to secure funding for future capital projects.

Q&A with Allan

Describe your path to the parks and recreation industry. Did you start your career from the beginning in this industry? If not, how did you get here and why did you pursue a job in this field?
My path to the parks and recreation industry started long before I even realized it. Growing up next to Phillips Park in Aurora, I was a daily user of the park’s amenities and often appreciated the way Phillips Park served the community. When I went to college, I learned about the field of landscape architecture for the first time and realized I had an interest in designing community spaces. After switching majors to landscape architecture, I interned at the City of Aurora’s Parks and Recreation Department and affirmed my interest in working in the parks and recreation industry. My first job out of college was as a landscape designer at a park planning and landscape architecture firm. I worked there for about a year before starting at the Naperville Park District.

Please explain your specific role as succinctly as possible, including which department you work in.
As a Project Manager in the Planning Department, I am responsible for scheduling and coordinating capital projects, creating construction documents, preparing contracts, carrying out the public bid process, securing contractors, and managing construction for a multitude of projects throughout the year. 

What about your life in general makes this industry a good fit for you?
I believe that my interest in promoting equity through public spaces makes parks and recreation the perfect industry for me. I grew up in a low-income community and was a daily user of the parks around me because it was a free way to enjoy the outdoors.  Over time I grew to appreciate the important role that parks play in every community. Parks are one of the few spaces that are truly free and open to the public, yet they provide invaluable improvements to their users’ quality of life. That notion made me passionate about the industry and continues to motivate me today.

If you would recommend working in parks and rec to others, what reasons would you give to support your recommendation?
I often recommend working in parks and rec to my friends and family! Working for a government entity vs. private sector company leads to a very different culture in the workplace. The private sector can be stressful with everyone’s bottom line being profit focused. Parks and rec jobs are publicly funded, so everyone can focus more on delivering quality and accessibility of amenities and programming instead of increasing profits. Also, due to the nature of the work, your coworkers are likely to be fun people!

How would you explain to someone that parks and recreation is a great place for a career – regardless of their field of study, college degree or experience.
Parks and rec is a surprisingly diverse industry with jobs for any level of education and field of study. There are jobs in finance, HR, marketing, customer service, trades, maintenance, IT, and planning. There is a lot going on behind the scenes to maintain amenities and provide the programs the community gets to enjoy.  Regardless of what your role is, you know that you are contributing to your community’s well-being, and that feeling is very rewarding.

Any additional information that you feel is important to communicate about your career path, experience with the NPD, etc. 
Parks and recreation is a great industry to get into if you enjoy community and seeing your work in real time. The industry can be very rewarding because you get to personally see the impact of your work every day. For me, contacting residents and hearing their excitement when their neighborhood playground is being renovated feels great! I think many of my colleagues from all departments can relate to this feeling as well.