Mentoring
Since 2014 I have been teaching the basics of HTML and CSS at my local Graphics Arts School. In 2022 I got certified as a Professional SCRUM Product Owner.
In short, I'm qualified and ready to show you how to "make IT great again"
What do my workshops look like?
I attended Globlife school of graphics arts while doing my studies. A couple years later after obtaining some experience in the field, I was asked to be the guest of honor on the end of year ceremony at Globlife. At the same time I did some headhunting as I was looking for hands on a project I was developing.
I got approached by the principal and asked if I could do HTML at the school. I wasn't a public speaker, I am an introvert, usually a listener, so how will I ever go and teach at a school?
I did what any sensible person would do and run to my comfort zone, but for some reason I said, "yeah sure, lets do it". The beginnings where tough, I hadn't refined the style of teaching or perfected the web design to match the entry level students. I got questions from the audience I wasn't prepared for, which most probably made my face red.
"It turns out, if you really want to master something, you have to start teaching it."
Perfecting my speaking and teaching skills
After the first couple lessons I knew exactly where to fix myself and my lessons. It turns out, if you really want to master something, you have to start teaching it. I started finding out how things worked, not just how to use them. I did this to be absolutely bulletproof if a student asked an advanced question, or was just curious why we do something in a certain way.
I picked a mentoring path which is closest to my heart. Explaining things in a normal human voice. The last thing first timers in HTML and CSS need is farfetched IT jargon. I started comparing divs to LEGO bricks, explained opening ans closing tags like the road signs people see on the street. After a couple years of teaching and refining I'm at a point where you can wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me which lesson to do and I'll just start reciting.
I've become a favorite teacher at the school, and even those that felt HTML will never be for them, after spending some time with me learned that it is in fact something they understand and could pursue in their future careers.
Backing up my above theory, I know that at least 2 or 3 students each semester decide on going into frontend. With some I keep contact and still work with till this day!
I feel I have a knack for guiding people
There is a lot of power of being able to explain something to someone in a simple form. Using good comparisons and metaphors you can get on someones level and help them achieve knowledge that seemed impossible to grasp.
I'm super comfortable in teaching HTML, CSS but less so in Javascript. I still feel I haven't reached a level of mastery that will let me show it well to others. Plus javascript is a deluge of opinions and patterns.
Since 2020 I've decided to increase my toolbelt in other mentoring skills. I'm striving for more leadership, guidance, mentoring, architectural positions. To show how to make things, not necessarily getting my hands dirty. I picked SCRUM as my next specialisation as I feel its values go well with my daily work and how I achieve things.
So why SCRUM? and Agile?
"Developing software makes sense when you know the product you are building. You want to strive for its success"
When I joined a proper software house and was introduced into a proper SCRUM methodology I just adapted it but never really felt its value. That all changed when I got a project which slightly lacked in product management and Agile was all over the place. Learning the insides of SCRUM allowed me to guide the client and the entire team to a structured trust based system that is at the core of SCRUM.
After getting involved in a couple leadership courses I felt that I want to see what Product Owning is really about. I participated in the accreditation and learned the inside outs of SCRUM and managing a product. Though I'm not quite yet ready for being a PO, it involves too much "numbers" and too little "finding solutions", but I've sealed my knowledge in SCRUM and can help teams reach goals using this methodology.