Volunteering

Maybe it’s cliché but I get a lot of satisfaction from helping others, particularly doing what I can to develop high school and college students. I do not pretend to be the smartest guy in the room but I do have a few skills I can try to pass along to the next generation.

When returning to school for more journalism training I really enjoyed sharing some of my life experience with my younger classmates. I would prod them to expand beyond their current capabilities and encourage them to get comfortable outside of their shell, whether it meant finding that unique camera angle or approaching complete strangers for an interview. Maybe my young protégés didn’t entirely realize what was happening, but I learned that I really enjoy working with bright young minds.

So I started tutoring English as second language students to develop their writing skills and I have enjoyed every minute of it. It’s an incredible opportunity to show motivated pupils how to organize their thoughts and see what they produce! I learn from them as much as I hope to be teaching.

A school teacher recently approached me to judge this year’s DECA competition in Santa Clara, and I jumped at the opportunity. (Check out http://www.deca.org/ and http://www.californiadeca.org/index.asp?page=9005 for info.) It was a ton of fun and frankly quite inspirational. The kids are alright, so to speak.

The experience reminded me of my last judging opportunity for the Brandon Hall Awards. That was cool! E-learning is a cutting-edge field that demands respect, both from the scholastic and corporate training fronts, and it was amazing to see the various ways companies exploit the intersection of technology and education to train their employees.