A puzzle, a question

Re: A puzzle, a question

Since I don't know you, one possibility is that although you know your stuff, people don't realise it when they talk to you.

You seem to be offering tutorial, which as you say is the best way of getting your head around tricky topics, but a lot of people are used to "broadcast" learning, ie a teacher or a video tells them stuff, they write it down and hope this turns into understanding.

They feel a bit uncomfortable in tutorial situations, possibly made worse by the fact that they know you.

If you want to push this I see two options, change what you offer or offer it to people who want what you have.

1: Do it as a lecture, say to some small bunch of people "I've got some Powerpoints on SMB, come to this pub on this day and I'll demo them". There's many pubs have rooms you can have on a slow night.

2: Help with Young Rewired State http://youngrewiredstate.org/

A bunch of kids who want to learn. You don't say where your expertise lies, but given that schools hardly teach any useful IT , you will make a difference.

> Since I don't know you, one possibility is that although you know your stuff, people don't realise it when they talk to you.

On the very rare occasions I talk IT out of work, it's clear I know my stuff. Possibly enough to scare some off, I wonder. Not considered that....

> They feel a bit uncomfortable in tutorial situations, possibly made worse by the fact that they know you.

Yes, that's a good point.

> If you want to push this I see two options, change what you offer or offer it to people who want what you have.

I don't want to take it further as I'm satisfied re. horses to water. As jake said, many people just can't be arsed (I paraphrase). Just cos they're people I know and like doesn't change that <sad shrug>. If I try harder it'll just annoy them and I've been very careful not to do that.

> 1: Do it as a lecture, say to some small bunch of people "I've got some Powerpoints on SMB, come to this pub on this day and I'll demo them". There's many pubs have rooms you can have on a slow night.

Ah interesting that, as I am seriously considering doing something similar at work for the assorted companies there (lots of small independent biz in a building), could be a good way of raising the lamentable level of UK IT, and getting my name round won't do any harm.

I'm also ramrodding training through at work. Had to fight the boss for that but he's not so bad.

> 2: Help with Young Rewired State http://youngrewiredstate.org/

Thanks! Will look into it.

Go online

I'd been looking into those fancy free online courses. Did a few, passed a few, flunked a few due to overload and some are seriously tough. Been thinking of offering to record a course myself, but nothing's come of that so far. There's also the khan academy approach, of course.

Another approach is "forums", which I personally dislike*, or good ol' usenet, or mailinglists on your favourite thing. One of the "secret tips" here is irc. I happen to hang out in a couple channels, some of which are technical, and sometimes people who need help seek out such channels. Just now someone came in with a C++ problem and left with an understood solution.

The point is probably that in-person tutoring is too easily seen as imposing, whereas more detached methods are much more hands-off. Even irc, where it is understood that you just hang around for a while, maybe a couple hours or a day or so, before moving on. Of course you first need to know where to find that sort of thing. But more than leading the horse to water, you cannot do, as you already found.

* This one not excepted, though it gets a pass for good behaviour... for now.