Every time I get in front of a class, I am reminded of why I I’m there and how much I love it. 

I may have talked about this before, so I hope you don’t mind if I do it again. 

I’ve always enjoyed training, but I didn’t realize how much until someone stated paying me to do it. I know how that sounds,  but let me explain.

For a long time at different companies, somehow I would be identified as someone who could train,  so a lot of times they would get a be application and say “here,  we just got this, figure it out and teach it to us!” Ok…

The sweetest moment was when I was teaching my son something craft related, he was about 10 and   he looked looked at me and said “your a good teacher”.  Hmm, think my heart melted then?

There was even a point where I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I met SDL when I was in grad school in Atlanta. I didn’t finish my masters,  but I met one of my best friends,  that sounds like a good deal to me!

My mom had even said, “if you come back to NY, I can get you a job in any school”, hmmm..I didn’t,  but it was a thought. Both my parents were amazing teachers, it must be genetic. Well, it didn’t get me back there, but she was right,  I would make a great teacher,  just in a different type of classroom. 

After I got divorced, I was looking for work and had lunch with a friend one day,  PK, and the company he was working for was looking for trainers. I had never been officially paid as a trainer, let’s see what happens.  I interviewed and apparently, whatever I said worked! They hired me and so began my life and love of being a road warrior, it sparked the bug and as you know, I’m still doing it. 

I realized a few things,  I can learn applications pretty easily, I need to practice, have hands on time to try and try and try, instead of sit there and listen to someone talk, especially if they are not engaging. I can “fake it til ya make it”, even if I don’t really know the subject matter,  no one knows because I’m confident in my delivery. Sometimes I am just memorizing the material and don’t really understand it until I’ve taught it a few times,  then things click and I’m really on.  

As I tell anyone who asks, to me ‘an application is an application is an application’ and what I mean by that is I don’t even have to understand it,  I have to help you understand how to use it to do your job day to day. I do actually learn it, just sometimes not right away.

I have to tell you, when I get in front of a class, I soar, I could be dead on my fear tired but when I get up there in front of the class,  it’s like bam! I’m on! I might collapse at lunch or the end of the day,  the minute I start teaching, wow, I come alive! I am very energetic, try to be engaging, so far it seems to be working. 

I know what is like to be in a boring class, not want to be there in the first place and have a boring or bad trainer. I want to be sure that you stay awake, engaged, participate, enjoy yourself and heaven forbid…learn something!

What people tell me on their way out of class or sometimes during a break encourages me and makes it all worthwhile and that’s what it’s really all about and why I know I’m where I’m supposed to be,  doing what I’m supposed to be doing and I love it. What do they say…if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. You were right mommy,  darn it!