Such is the life of a Baltimore Ravens football fan.

February means different things to different people. Some people think of Valentine’s Day. Others think of Presidents’ Day. For NAAEI, February marks Apartment Careers Month, which is when we remind others of the exciting job opportunities offered by our industry.

We’ve all heard stories about how the recent recession has impacted the job market. Many of us probably know someone who either lost their job or is struggling to find one – even as our economy starts to recover and unemployment rates start to fall. Those of us who work in the apartment industry have been fortunate as our industry has continued to grow, creating strong demand for new employees. But, many job seekers still don’t realize the wide variety of career opportunities available in multifamily housing.

Few industries offer a portable career with ample opportunity for advancement. Think about it, almost every town in America has at least one apartment community with each requiring a team of people to professionally manage it. We’re also an industry that caters to people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. From marketing to maintenance, we need people who can perform many different types of jobs. And, we are also one of the few industries that provides new college graduates with jobs that many will decide to turn into long-term, rewarding careers.

I travel around the country a lot visiting our affiliates and their members. I have the chance to hear how people came to the apartment industry and why they chose to make it their career. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that few people set out one day to pursue a career in the apartment industry. The ways in which they came to the industry are as diverse as the people themselves. Some may have heard about the job opportunity from a friend while others may have come across an entry-level job opening and decided to apply. They stayed in the industry because of the advancement opportunities, the people and the fact that every day is different.

I encourage you to share your own stories with others who may be looking for a new career or who are simply wanting to try something different. I shared apartment career information with my niece, nephew and cousin, and they all started their careers in the apartment industry after college.

It’s not too late to plan your own activity for Apartment Careers Month. We even offer a toolkit to help you. We also are offering free webinars on “Introduction to Careers in the Apartment Industry” (Feb. 16) and “How to Find that Apartment Job and Ace your Interview” (Feb. 29).  I also encourage you to take a look at our new website targeting recent college graduates.

Above all, I hope you take this month to celebrate the fact that you are working in a vibrant industry that serves more than 53 million Americans on a daily basis. Share your enthusiasm with others. Maybe you will help a friend, family member or neighbor find their Apartment Career! 

The day your first child is born, everything changes. Colors get brighter, the world gets bigger and your heart explodes with an unconditional love you didn’t even know was possible.

Such was the case on that emotional day last June when I held Señor Peepers—a prairie dog I adopted in Utah—for the first time. I signed the papers, cradled my baby and felt an incredible surge of joy I hadn’t experienced since my first Dairy Queen raspberry truffle blizzard many moons ago.

Now I should, I suppose, make it clear that I was actually holding a stuffed animal version of Señor Peepers. Adorable as they are, prairie dogs can transmit both monkey pox and bubonic plague to humans—both of which would require more sick days than I currently have.

So until the day when the FDA approves an experimental drug program that enables me to get monthly prairie dog vaccines, I must embrace the plush, toy version of my son. And whenever I look at that stuffed animal that sits—quite creepily—on my desk in work, I’m reminded that somewhere out there in the fields of Southern Utah, Señor Peepers is thinking of me.

If you have a pet—particularly one you practically regard as a human baby—then you understand. There’s just something about an animal that makes you feel loved.

The residents at Country Village Apartments know all about it.

A year and a half ago, Sharron Lambeth, Senior Regional Property Manager for Beacon Property Management, adopted a golden retriever named Pang Pang. The 6-year-old pooch was trained and certified as a therapy dog and now spends her days at the 1,238-unit senior housing community in Mira Loma, Calif., visiting with residents, riding around in the golf carts and greeting people in the leasing office.

The 69-pound dog is the perfect community pet. Lambeth says many of the older residents do not have the money or resources to take care of a pet on their own but love the companionship and unconditional love that Pang Pang provides. She also poses no threat of spreading a turn-of-the-century disease, like my little guy.

With more than 400 Facebook friends, the dog has become an important—and popular—member of Country Village. The community has incorporated Pang Pang into all of its advertising—from calendars to the community website and “Team Pang Pang” t-shirts that employees wear.

Lambeth says Pang Pang has not only improved resident retention, but captivated the community of Mira Loma. Her presence has been requested for everything from meetings at the nearby Chamber of Commerce to the local senior center and library, where the dog will be assisting with their reading program.

“It’s hard to describe—her connection with our residents goes beyond what we’ve ever imagined,” Lambeth says. “She’s a ray of sunshine.”

Just like Señor Peepers—bubonic plague and all.

For information on Country Village’s therapy dog program, check out the article “Puppy Love” in the February issue of units, which mails Feb. 8.

Such was the case on that emotional day last June when I held Señor Peepers—a prairie dog I adopted in Utah—for the first time. I signed the papers, cradled my baby and felt an incredible surge of joy I hadn’t experienced since my first Dairy Queen raspberry truffle blizzard many moons ago.

I sobbed hysterically when my parents dropped me off at college freshman year, so much so that my contact lenses were covered with bits of errant tissue fibers. This sentiment apparently was not felt universally on campus, as literal hoots and hollers could be heard from nearly every other one of my classmates who finally felt free.

Two years ago, when I decided it was time to leave my job and accept a position at NAA, I tearfully broke the news to my supervisor. He seemed increasingly concerned and began consoling me as my tears turned into full-on crying. Later that day when I had my exit interview with HR, I went so far as to use the phrase, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

When I came home for Thanksgiving break last year, my mom told me she had finally gotten a new duvet cover for my bed. The news hit me hard and I welled up with tears, as I expect any normal person would. Sensing this freakish aversion to a minor interior design switcheroo, my mother gently told me we could “deal with it later.”

So clearly, I don’t handle change very well. In the immortal words of my fantasy husband, Kevin Arnold, who you may remember from The Wonder Years, “you fight to hold on. You fight to let go.”

Well, I’m here to tell you that when it comes to incandescent light bulbs, it’s time to let go.

Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, 100-watt (W) incandescent light bulbs are being phased out beginning October 2012 in favor of more energy efficient alternatives. According to the legislation, 75W bulbs will no longer be sold starting in 2013, followed by 40W and 60W bulbs in 2014.

During this transition, apartment owners must decide which lighting options best suit their needs—preferably minus the waterworks. The two most popular alternatives are LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps), both of which are rated based on brightness—or lumens—rather than watts.

The less expensive of the two are CFLs, which are estimated to be 78 percent more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs. The average 13W bulb costs between $3 and $4 and can last an advertised 8,000 to 10,000 hours. However, the mercury contained inside the bulb can present potential health risks if a CFL breaks.

I’m not sure what sort of a threat this poses compared to, say, sophomore year of college when I ate tuna fish every day for lunch. But either way, the mercury can’t be good.

Alternatively, 12W LED lights retail at approximately $25 per bulb, on average, but have advertised lifetimes of approximately 25,000 hours—or over 20 years—according to manufacturers’ claims. The bulbs also are 80 percent more efficient than incandescent lights.

Many agree that LED lighting is a worthwhile investment over the long term, but the hefty price tag on the front-end creates budget challenges for some.

The switch is coming, whether you like it or not. Grab the tissue box and hop on board.

For information on energy efficient lighting alternatives, check out the article, “LED: Flipping the Switch” in the January issue of units, which mails Jan. 8.

My family doesn’t have the best phone etiquette.

As a child, I was so petrified of calling people that I would write out exactly what I wanted to say ahead of time and recite my lines repeatedly before dialing. Once I was finally confident enough to ad lib, my mother saw fit to secretly listen in on my conversations. One night, when there was apparently nothing good on TV, I could hear her and my brother, Chris, laughing on the other end of the phone.

But Chris has problems of his own. For the first month that he was job searching after graduation, he found it perfectly acceptable to leave his voicemail message as “Yo, this is C-Bizzzzle”—something that just screams young professional. It’s a miracle he’s gotten any interviews at all.

My mother, on the other hand, likes to answer the phone with a Stepford-esque, “Hello” that one would use when expecting a call from the President. We always know when her best friend is on the other end because she immediately drops the fake voice in favor of a Baltimore/cockney “Ey Mare!” (Translation: Hi Mary.)

My dad always finds this funny, yet he never seems amused when we explain that although a cell phone is very small in size, there is no need to scream into it. Unless he is making a call to the moon, Pops could take it down a notch.

What can I say—we’re better on paper. So are a lot of people.

Fortunately, apartment management company Alliance Residential has started a new Call of Fame program to address this.

Created to improve Alliance’s phone-call conversion rate, the program recognizes staff’s top phone “shops” based on the leasing professional’s ability to convey warmth, enthusiasm, intelligence and overall personality during the call. All incoming calls from prospective residents are recorded and reviewed, with the most effective examples being posted to an Intranet website page. The number of phone calls placed on the Call of Fame is factored into Alliance’s quarterly bonuses and performance reviews.

Alliance’s Vice President of Performance Tina Makssour says her company conducts mandatory phone interviews as part of the hiring process to ensure potential hires have the necessary skills.

Current employees also take part in telephone training classes that allow them to practice speaking to prospects on the phone. Makssour says phone etiquette is crucial, as a prospect’s first experience with a community is often when they call the leasing office for the first time.

Such steps help address the challenge of training sales associates (like C-Bizzle) who “increasingly are from a generation that has never learned the art of conversation because text-messaging is their primary method of communication,” Makssour adds. Additionally, Alliance is adding chat and text-messaging as communication channels for prospects, which will be more native and comfortable for many of its associates.

Sign the Bostons up!

For information on Alliance’s Call of Fame program, check out Paul Bergeron’s article, “Call of Fame is the Answer,” in the January issue of units, which mails Jan. 8.

As a child, I was so petrified of calling people that I would write out exactly what I wanted to say ahead of time and recite my lines repeatedly before dialing. Once I was finally confident enough to ad lib, my mother saw fit to secretly listen in on my conversations. One night, when there was apparently nothing good on TV, I could hear her and my brother, Chris, laughing on the other end of the phone.

Time to gather the family around the proverbial Yule log before mocking that 14-page holiday letter you get every year from those family “friends” you can’t stand. Time to watch your mother have a meltdown when she realizes the mashed potatoes she made for the Christmas party are the consistency of paste. Time to repeatedly tell your aunt that you would rather she not blow a noisemaker in your ear for a full five minutes before the ball drops—and remind you why New Years Eve is the worst.