Who is this guy anyway?
Whenever I take a course or watch an instructional video I am always interested to know something about the instructor. And since you might feel the same way I thought you might want to know a bit about the person who creates these articles and appears in the videos. So here is everything, or at least everything I’m willing to reveal, about me.
First of all, my name is Bill
Actually it’s really William, but I prefer Bill. William sounds a bit too formal to me, so if we ever happen to meet please just call me Bill. One of the greatest (and richest) technical minds in the world is Bill Gates (whose real name is William Gates), so I feel that I’m in good company.
I’m Canadian
I was born in Montreal, and I’ve now moved back here to assist my family. I have not lived here all my life; however, I spent two years in Calgary, 18 years in Edmonton, and almost 10 years in Honolulu, Hawaii. I’ve seen a lot of my own country (nine out of ten provinces) and the United States (37 states), but the only other countries I’ve ever visited are New Zealand and Australia.
I’ve always loved science and technology
My father was in the aerospace industry (he was the Chief Engineer for the Canada Arm that flew on the Space Shuttle), and he instilled within me a love of science. Astronomy was my hobby when I was a child, and I started working with electronics at age 7 when I received a “50-in-one Electronics Kit” for my birthday. I hand-wired my first computer when I was 16 (in 1976) and became an electronics technician in the late 1970s. Working with electronics has been my passion for over half a century!
I’ve never been a teacher
Many people seem to assume that I was a teacher professionally, and while I find that extremely flattering, it isn’t the case. I have taught to some degree, in the early days of the World Wide Web, I taught authors to use the internet, and I also hosted some training seminars when I worked in Hawaii. But, although I have always wanted to be a teacher, I have never taught professionally.
I’ve had a lot of experience
While I might not be a professional teacher, I have had a lot of experience, which I feel makes up for my lack of teaching qualifications. I’ve been an electronics technician, a software developer, a systems analyst, and a consultant. I’ve worked for two governments in two different countries; I’ve worked for large corporations and also for small businesses. I’ve been a unionized employee, I’ve been in management, and I’ve been self-employed. Not only that, but I also had a brief summer job putting up a circus tent when I was 17, but I seldom use those skills anymore!