An Opportunity to Teach

Over the last few days I've been basking in the warmth of a unique opportunity extended to me: training new recruits in a programming language I've come to love.

I call it a unique opportunity not because it is a novelty for me. In fact, I've been a corporate trainer for quite some time in my IT career since 1996, when I was also a consulting developer. I've also trained students, who came out fresh from varsities, in practical nuances that their scholastic syllabus hardly addressed.

I call it a unique opportunity only because this is the first time my current employers (from 2005) have ever asked me to take some time out of my otherwise hectic yet monotonous schedule to officially train four new recruits fresh out of their varsity, in a programming language I've recently taught myself and come to love.

Over the last week, I've really enjoyed myself teaching, preparing notes, and creating fully functional sample programmes to support my lessons.

I'm glad I took this opportunity when it came, and I'm glad I made the effort I did, because it has helped me as much as it may have helped my students. For one, it has given me time to reconcile and consolidate my knowledge.

I only hope that my current students have been enjoying the classes as much as I've been enjoying preparing for them. I hope they take home more than just knowledge, I hope they take home my experience. And I hope they use it to their benefit.