Simply put, my job rocks.
A short description of what I do...I'm Microsoft Office Master Certified, so there are lots of Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook etc. classes that I teach. Also I'm their primary instructor for all the business skills classes. I teach over 80 courses, but the popular ones are Time Management, Interpersonal Communication, Managerial Skills, and Email Etiquette.
Most of my students are with me for quite some time, up to a year. This gives me a chance to develop friendships and a unique opportunity to mentor some of them. I get to tailor my teaching for their individual needs. This week there was a situation I experienced that basically epitomizes why I love my job. A gentleman we will call "Al" has been in my classes a few months now, developing his job skills and looking for employment. He was at the end of his rope and in his own words, we were his last hope. He was unemployed, broke, alone, and during his journey with us...even became temporarily homeless. Al continued attending my classes and kept his focus. He developed new skills and increased his confidence. Then it happened. Last week he came into my Interviewing Skills class and announced he'd need to leave a bit early because he had an interview. The entire class erupted with cheers! He shared with us that it was for a team lead position for a major company and they would be doing a panel interview with him. He was very, very nervous. So I decided we would adjust the class a bit, to accompany not only Al...but also give the other students a unique experience. I divided the room into several "panels" and helped them develop a list of challenging "real world" interview questions. I then took turns rotating every student through the panel...giving them a chance to be the interviewer as well as the interviewee. Naturally, we thoroughly drilled Al! After each panel interview, the students were given in depth feedback on how they could improve. Al left us that day with his head held high and ready to go.
The next day I walked into the Center and the entire building was buzzing. Yes, Al aced the interview!!! I found him and gave him a BIG high five & told him how proud of him we all were. He was glowing. His confidence was off the chart!!!
This is what it's all about. Making a tangible difference in the lives of others. And they pay me to do what I do...wow.
