So today at work I began four days of training classes for the week. For five hours of each remaining work day this week, I sit in front of my laptop in the privacy of my home office and, along with nine other class participants, get guided through an overview of a multi-million dollar software package. Later this month and next month is when the real training takes place, with in-depth coursework designed to stimulate all sorts of neurons in my head.
The training was originally suppose to take place in exotic places such as Dallas, Texas and Rochester, New York, but the company discovered that it is cheaper to have everyone participate virtually and remotely, via the very technology that we provide to the masses. As a result of this epiphany, most of the travel plans were scrapped in favor of this telecommuting arrangement. I am still traveling to Dallas for a week in the beginning of March for some of this frivolity in person. That week will be the first time that I meet most of my peers face-to-face. I am looking forward to the experience.
I have to be honest and admit that this telecommuting way of learning is actually working well for me. Maybe I should have done this for most of my educational career. Sitting in front of my computer in the solitude of my office and not worrying about what other people around me are doing or wondering how my flight home is going to go is actually helping me stay focused. I don’t feel distracted, I feel energized. Forty years ago my kindergarten teacher identified me as a “loner” and I guess that’s one thing she got right. (We ignore her other assessment of me, in which she told my mother that I was learning disabled. She just didn’t get me as I didn’t really fit into the “no child is really any different than any other child” mentality.) I’ve taken lots of notes, I’ve shut down anything that could be distracting and I’m actually learning something. Just from this first class I have come up with several ways to integrate my software package into this platform that we’re developing. My inner geek is excited and I can’t wait to implement some ideas and learn more when we get into the more in depth classes later in the month.
I’m looking forward to the next session tomorrow.
