I wrote in a previous post about my motivation for taking 3260 being to be that one step close to the finish line. Realistically though its also a step closer to another start line.
Coming out of high school I was fortunate enough to have been accepted at Royal Military College, Queens Concurrent Ed and Waterloo Chemical Engineering. I ended up selecting chemical engineering since I liked chemistry and it seemed like it would be a good career choice. I hated it. I stuck it out to get my degree but I always wondered about no choosing the Queens program and becoming a teacher. After a great career in sales and marketing I’m now revisiting that choice and making a change.
My hope / strategy / idea is that by taking the PIDP I can establish my teaching credentials and get more grounded in the art of instruction. The longer term goal is to instruct sales and marketing at the college level.
One of biggest changes for me personally in the taking the PIDP is learning to be more purposely reflective. By purposefully, I mean taking the time to dig a little deeper and examine why I think the way I do, whats affecting those thoughts and, most importantly, what I can do about it. I remember the first time I heard “teaching” in the PIDP referred to as “your practice”. I thought “I’m not a lawyer or a physician”. “What “practice” are you referring to?”. I’m now learning to embrace this; a conscious effort in deciding the “how” and the “why” of teaching not just the “what”.
For career development I’ve come up with a few suggestions for myself.
Revisit workshop material – most of what I have taught to date has been short engagement workshops. The materials have been well thought out and well received. That said, I need to revisit it in light of what I now know about instructional design and evaluation.
Be open to more opportunities – I still sorting out what my ideal teaching job would be. In reality, nothing is ever ideal – institution, students, material, location, timing etc etc. The important goal is to be actively teaching and jump right in.
Network – I need to investigate associations and organizations that I can join that will have networking events related to adult ed. I also need to leverage my own existing business network and connections; especially letting my change in career direction be known.
Continue to blog – I’m starting to really enjoy the act of blogging. Its a great way to showcase thoughts, opinions and knowledge on subject matter. I think I will shift away from PIDP and focus on sales and marketing though.
Volunteer – I currently volunteer with a variety of organization focused on youth and entrepreneurship. Its incredibly rewarding and has lead to job opportunities. I will continue to do this but will alter my focus to adult education and sales and marketing.
If you are reading this and have any other suggestions on how to get a start in teaching as a profession I’d welcome your comments.
Craig
Learning about learning 