Training as a career!

I started my computing career as a trainer back in '95. In those days, I've had this reputation of being an electronics wizard who was good at demystifying the intricacies of an IBM PC-compatible hardware. Teaching as a skill came to me quite naturally, and I'm proud of being the most favorite teacher amongst students since '95.

Over the years that followed, I managed to diversify my career/skill-set (system programmer, web developer, FOSS technology specialist/developer, Independent developer/architect, so on). All my past experiences (based on both success and failure) have helped me refine my thinking and grow higher. One role remained in me consistently over these years - that of being a mentor to a chosen few who liked me for what I am and what I do.

From time to time, some of my students have asked me - "Is being a teacher, worth a career ?". Even today, at-least one participant who attends the corporate training programs that I conduct often ask me "With this technical expertise, why don't you become a senior developer or something like that ?" I often interpret that quote as "Why are you wasting your career as a trainer ?!". And then there were some companies - my clients who after reviewing my training feedback have been generous enough to offer me somewhat hard-to-resist job offers at their organization. While I really appreciate their incentive, I had to sit with them and explain the fact that I'm happy with what I've been doing right now. A few other simply ask me "Why are you a trainer ?"

Coming back to the basic question that crops up in everyone's mind: "Is being an IT trainer worth a career ?" My answer to this question is "definitely yes!" provided that you are skilled enough to be a trainer.

The problem is, many scale me as an IT trainer on the same rank as "Teaching faculties" of run-of-the-mill computer training institutes. Yes, I started my career working as a part-time (and later full-time) teaching faculty at a computer training institute - but moved on - after I realizing my own potential. So, what makes me feel different than many others ? Before answering that question, I should rather point back with another question - "Why am I not working at a computer training institute today as a full-time teaching faculty ?" The obvious answer that anyone who knows me would come up with - "They can't pay you for your experience and skills".

Now, think about it - most of these training institutes (at-least in India) pay too less for being a teaching faculty. Thus, skilled professionals never see training as a career at all. Skilled professionals move on to become programmers/developers and climb up the corporate ladder to become Project Managers, Technical Managers, Chief Architects, CTOs and so on. The brave ones take the risk of starting up their own company/consulting firm.

So, what's left at the IT training sector are a bunch incompetent and totally non-skilled professionals - The ones that failed to get into the IT industry as a programmer/developer take up the job of being a teaching faculty at a computer training institute. There are a few skilled professionals with missed opportunities who land up as teaching faculties too - very soon they become the star trainers in these institutes. Now, how long can a skilled professional stick to remain as an IT trainer ? He looks for a better opportunity and then jumps the boat. Thus, most (if not all) computer training institutes are known to offer mediocre to poor-quality training owing to their lack of skilled trainers.

The heart of the matter is: Computer training institutes pay too less for being a full-time teaching faculty (when compared to many software companies paying their programmers at the same scale). There was a time when many computer training institutes had training faculties with exceptional communication and student-management skills (they were groomed to be!) while still lacking in their technical expertise/ability (they lack the time to self-learn!). Today, these folks with good communication skills have headed to form the workforce of booming "Call Centers" as they pay better!

Where there is a lack of resource - there lies an opportunity - to create the necessary resource and to thrive on its benefits. This is exactly what I learned in my experience. There are excellent programmers, developers, managers today who fill the gap too easily when the necessities arise in companies. Every company today have become adaptive. Technologies keep changing, customer's requirements change rapidly - but the skilled professionals in the company remain the same. The solution: most companies prefer training their workforce in order to help them adapt to rapidly changing trends and norms in the industry.

Every company is looking out for skilled trainers. A trainer who's not a programmed presentation Robot - but a trainer with first hand experience in developing software, managing software, teams with strong and diverse expertise in the breadth of IT. This is exactly where I fit in!

Now coming back to the question: "Why am I considering myself - the career of being an IT Trainer ?" The answer to this question is manifold. Firstly, I started my career as a trainer - thus training as a skill comes to me very naturally. Secondly, I've been more of a technology explorer over the years of experience that I've sustained in the industry. Over the last 12 years, I've managed to learn and master many different and diverse technologies. A quick look at my training link should reveal this fact.

As a developer, I cannot classify myself exclusively as a System's developer or a Web developer or Database developer or anything similar. I'm equally well-versed with many technologies (most of which aren't even linked to each other). I can be a System Administrator too, or a Security Analyst - then again the perspective gets narrowed down. Not all of my other skills fit in there.

Now, with more than a decade of experience in the industry, I can climb high up the ladder to be a Technical Architect. In fact, a couple of my acquaintances did approach me with the offer to manage their company as a COO or a CTO or being a Managing Director. While their offers did impress me, what they lacked was the satisfaction that I've been enjoying for the last 4 years.

As an Independent Consultant, I've always worked on what really interested me. This is where my multiple skills added to my advantage. I really never had to worry about "company vision", "company focus", "company milestones" and so on. It was (and it still really is) all about me alone - and I'm happy with that. Of course, in the long run, I do plan to start-up a company on my own. I'm just working my way out to it. A company of "me and my team" - a company that does not entangle us into processes and its bureaucracy; but a company that let us do what we really like and what we are good at. That's one of my long-term dream.

The immediate career milestone that I foresee for myself, is to establish myself well enough - both financially and in reputation to form a training institute of my own. I've helped many start-up companies and institutes more as a mentor, and a catalyst and have move on over the last 4 years - through which I've gained immense experience and exposure into "How to run an organization".

Right now, I'm in the process of setting up a team for it - I'm on the lookout for people with similar skills and focus as me - which is rare. The best way to setup a team is to create them. And the only best bet at doing this is by building a strong, healthy and iconic reputation as a technology and career mentor. This explains why I'm focusing my career as an IT trainer.

The other fact about being an exceptional trainer is: I'm the most sought after trainer for most of the technologies and topics that form my skill-set. And yes, all this comes at a price! Many training organizers (most of them from Hyderabad) feel a jolt when they hear about my commercials - I really can't blame them as there are lots of "cheap" unskilled corporate trainers too at large in that city - not to mention, there are many many run-of-the-mill training organizers who's focus is only to make quick money - than delivering proper training programs to their client.

There are many successful "Corporate Trainers" whom I've met over the last 10 years in the field - and they are happy about what they do! What really matters in being a successful corporate trainer is the art of guiding, motivating and building skilled professionals. To a large extent, a good corporate trainer acts as a catalyst in improving the productivity of each participant attending his training program.

So can anyone take up a career as an IT Trainer ? I doubt that. To be a trainer, you'll need manifold skills - expertise in technology - both in breadth and in depth. It is more embarrassing (if not unavoidable at all moments) to be clueless about a question raised by a participant. Expertise in technology isn't sufficient to be a trainer - though thats a primary requirement. I know of many programming wizards who cannot explain what they do! To be a trainer, you'll need to have exceptional communication skills - the ability to keep the participants awake, listening and attentive for 8 hours at a stretch! At most companies in my experience, participants who attend training programs expect the trainer to show them how things work rather than running through boring presentations covering facts that they already know, or those that they could gather by looking up at Google/Wikipedia!

A trainer must have lots of patience, and must study the participant's level of understanding and manoeuver the training program adaptively. A trainer must also be confident, brave and have excellent command over the subject he's training. The last, but not the least - trainer must be charismatic in some way! The participant should feel confident about the trainer the moment he interacts.

There's lot more I can pour in... but I feel that this write-up has already become too lengthy! Maybe I'll edit it someday and make it more presentable :-)

The end of the matter is: Yes, being a competent skill-worthy trainer can be an excellent profession!