“In 1998, I started part-time computer training. Over the years teaching others brought me a great deal of pleasure.
It was an accident that I started in this field – I had been attending Toastmasters, and a contact said to me – ‘You’re good at computers. why don’t you start teaching.’
Initially I worked for a few training firms – but this expanded to include Drake Training, Pollak, ATC Training, Learning Lab, Wizard Computer Training and finally Forrest Training.
I got a good chance to see how organization worked. Not how they ought to work. But how they actually worked. Whilst teaching others how to turn theory into practice.
This included innumerable government departments, corporates, charities and businesses of all sizes. Pupils ranged from ambassadors and executives, lawyers and factional politicians, pie shop owners to football teams, train drivers and maintenance staff. All walks of life.
Often I think this helped me understand consumer behaviour, and how people learn, more than any university course could.
I diversified from computers into taught project management, technical computing topics, business writing and back into teaching evening certificate classes in marketing.
“This ran parallel for periods to my data analysis work, which eventually took over.”
Christopher Hire, Melbourne.