This September I got to experience a great professional milestone; being a guest lecturer for one of my favorite classes in Bentley University’s Masters of Information Technology program: Global IT Project Management. It was a class I had taken a few years ago on the way to completing my Masters, and it both excited and terrified me.The material and the delivery by a much admired faculty member was fantastic. The scary part was just how difficult it was. My professor’s expectations were high, but without a doubt it had a monumental impact on shaping who I am as an IT professional. I’m thankful I got to experience it.
So, when that some professor asked if I would come back and cover one of his classes, I jumped at the chance.
First of all, what an honor. To know that the decisions and experiences I accumulated in my career (from working in a variety of roles as both a developer and project manager, to the variety of organizations, from educational to start-ups) put me in position to share teachable moments with others, made me feel prideful.
Second of all, I LOVE teaching. As I’ve gotten farther in my career, I have really taken to mentoring others. There’s just something so satisfying to having a part in someone grow their knowledge, be it in something technical, business, or simply a life lesson. I’ve also found teaching to be a way to strengthen my own knowledge. The adage is true: if you want to master a topic, teach it.
UPDATE – two and half hours from the start of the class…
I had an absolute blast! The students were fantastic, and I genuinely felt like sharing stories from my real world experience had an impact. My two goals going into the class were (1) to keep the engagement and class participation high, (2) and help students embrace the idea that successful project management in the real world is a balance between having the discipline to stick to formal processes and pivoting when needs arise. The discussion was outstanding. I think I hit the mark with both goals.
Thanks for the opportunity, Bill! Looking forward to returning next year…