It was REALLY last minute… on Friday I got a mass e-mail from a training provider scrambling to replace a trainer who had cancelled at the last minute. By some miracle of scheduling I was available; after a few hours of back and forth e-mails I booked my flight for Sunday to be at the training facility Monday morning.
All boot camps are hectic. The pace is often ridiculous… it is frantic to rush through 15 days of classes in 10 days, but with a group of students as good as these, who have met the prerequisites and have the drive and the discipline, then it can be done. We completed the first course (6421: Configuring and Troubleshooting a Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure) in four days instead of five, and the students all wrote the exam Thursday evening and Friday morning. All passed (one needed to use his Second Shot Free, but that’s what it’s there for!) the first exam (70-642) and earned their first certification (MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration) and were psyched and energized to tackle two more courses over a six day period.
It cannot be easy for them. The pace that the curriculum dictates I maintain is frenetic. They are all drinking from the fire hose, and many have been learning concepts that they will never have the opportunity to implement or work with in their day to day jobs. However the morning of Day One they all answered the questions I ask of every class, starting with ‘Why are you here?’ They all have their reasons, and since their employers all sent them most of them revolve around ‘I need the certifications and/or training to keep my job.’ I respect that.
During the two week class two of the seven students have celebrated birthdays. These were marked by the class going to lunch together, happy birthday wishes, and (very small) token presents. Neither birthday boy/girl missed class because they were out partying or celebrating too late. Several times over the fortnight smartphones have vibrated with messages of the world coming to an end back at the office… yet nobody took time off of class because they understand the importance of learning. When labs break they work out how to fix them, or ask for help (first of their fellow students, then of me). When concepts are unclear the fellow students help clarify. It is wonderful to watch.
None of them have complained about the pace, none has shied away from homework and I have not once heard a complaint about the extended work days and early morning. As Master Lee (see my previous post about Master Lee’s Joonbi Taekwondo) taught his new student last night, our ability to succeed hinges on our willingness to work hard to achieve our goals. As Grand Master Kim makes us recite before and after class, Everything is up to my mind, Sir!
These students know all of that, and have the work ethic, and now the certification, to prove it!
Way to go class!
