I can think of a few reasons why I really enjoy being a trainer. Some of them reflect the good of being a trainer in general but I believe that some of them are more specific to me. A great example of that is that I love to talk. There are times when friends can’t get me to shut up. That is something that serves me well in front of the room. I also love to read about and learn new things. It gets a bit tiring to a lot of us to constantly have to learn new products or new versions but for me, it is what keeps the brain going.
I also feel that there is nothing more rewarding than when you see a student “get it.” You can see in their eyes that they finally understand something that you have been explaining. Another thing that fosters a feeling of accomplishment is when past students return to you and tell you how they got their certifications or they passed an exam that they had been having trouble with. If they say that they got a better job because of it that makes it that much better.
I have to admit that one of the primary reasons that I like teaching is I know that I don’t have to worry about being paged at 2AM because of a training emergency. In other words, while I take my job seriously, I know that it doesn’t have the pressures of managing a network or writing software. I am also one step removed from the biggest burden that any of us have. I mean dealing with the end users. I spent years doing phone support. I also have had a lot of time dealing with end users in person. That is an extremely difficult task. Even when I started training, before I got my Microsoft Certifications, I found myself growing very frustrated teaching Beginning Windows classes. That is why I prefer being a MCT. At least then I don’t deal with the end user in general.
So, there are my two sides to being a trainer…any questions?
