Rhett Noseck didn't come to LGA down the usual road. His journey was an adventure filled with entrepreneurship, show preparation, and pirates. Yes, pirates.
"I needed a situation where I was creating something in a creative way," said Noseck, 37. "Architecture is multi-faceted. Once I started architecture school I realized it was the place for me. ... I chose a smaller firm because I felt like I was going to get a better experience here overall."
Before Noseck decided on architecture school, before he found LGA, he graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in international business from Pepperdine University in Southern California. He was working at a Los Angeles headhunting firm when he broke his neck, leaving him at home for six months, wearing a halo, thinking about a business plan. In 2000, he and two friends moved to Las Vegas to open a reserve study company, which provides financial consulting for homeowners' associations.
The economy that followed Sept. 11 left Noseck looking for supplemental work. He became a security guard at the Treasure Island resort. This is where the pirates come in.
On a whim, Noseck auditioned to be one of the performing pirates in the show that plays to tourists in front of the resort. Instead of securing the perimeter, swimming, diving and stunts, including swinging from ship to ship, became his workplace skillset.
In a family full of medical professionals, Noseck had officially gone a different route.
"I was the one who became a pirate, so I was the black sheep of the family," he said in jest. "I was so close to going to dental school instead of architecture school. I just knew it wouldn't be the right choice, so I didn't do it."
After a few years, he sold his third of the company to his partners to perform full time. Performing in the show led him to a new passion - live show production. All the moving parts surrounding putting a live show together fascinated him. He started his second company producing live action shows for the cruise line entertainment industry. After shows in the Caribbean and Qatar fell through unexpectedly, Noseck stuck his head above water and changed his way of thinking.
"What I realized was my brain was getting mushy just being a performer, which is why I got into live production. I was thinking a lot," Noseck said. "To me, they (live production and architecture) are similar types of professions, even though the outcomes are different."
Today, he still enjoys sailing and the outdoors - although not on a pirate ship - and spending time with his wife and their two dogs. Although he's older than UNLV's typical fall 2013 master's degree in architecture graduates, he's happy with the road less traveled.
"I'm 10 years behind everyone else, because I spent 10 years being a performer," Noseck said. "But I'm happy. This is my new career, and I'd like to make the best of it. I can see myself being happy doing this for as long as possible."