Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517130
48 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2024 may seem like the instructor has the easy life. Aer all, the instructors fly in from their last gig, spend the night at a ritzy hotel, babble for a while to a roomful of people, and then fly out again the next day aer a steak and lobster dinner. However, the truth isn't nearly so glamorous; there's a lot more to being a technical instructor than just that. Here are some of the tasks that occupied my time when I was conducting PCB CAD train- ing classes: • Research: I would spend time going through the latest versions of my compa- ny's soware to update the training materi- als and databases. • Content creation: Sometimes I even re- wrote the materials from the ground up if the changes were significant enough. • Travel agent: Since I conducted most of my classes at the client's site, I researched and booked all my own travel arrange- ments and hotel accommodations. • Publisher: Teaching onsite meant arrang- ing for the publication and distribution of the training materials and databases for the class. • System administrator: I ensured the class- room CAD systems were correctly config- ured because oen these systems wouldn't have the correct soware installed. • Racing the clock: Sometimes I arrived the morning of the class and jumped right into teaching without a chance to catch my breath. ere are also a few misadventures. ere were times that clients were, let's say, less than satisfied with my efforts. ankfully, I was never run out of town on a rail, but there were a couple of times when I le a training ses- sion with my ears burning. I've had people fall asleep during the class, get up, and storm out because "it was too hard." ey would glare at me with such red faces and bulging eyes that I nervously looked for a quick escape route out a back door. (Right about now, Andy is probably thinking, "What are you doing, Haag? We're supposed to create interest in being a design instructor, not scare everyone away." Be patient, Andy! I'm getting to that.) However, those misadventures, although worthy of a good story shared around the campfire, were only a small slice of my expe- riences as an instructor. e other 98% of my time was filled with some genuinely great moments. Here are some examples of those times in no particular order: Travel In my time as an instructor, I journeyed from coast to coast and spent some time up in Can-