Twenty years in education ...

I never planned to be in education ... sorry, it was a series of circumstances that put me in front of a class. Having been made redundant from a network managers role in 1996, with a two very young children (4 ish and under 1 years).

 The role I went for was a perfect fit - my plan was to stick it out for no more than three years and take the time to look for a more apt role. Reality bites and you soon discover that you are being sucked beyond the event horizon of education. Spending almost twelve years in further education.

Could I get back into industry - I am too far gone and to be honest I enjoy education too much.

Discovering that I could teach, or at least hold a class of teenagers hostage for a couple of hours. Opportunities appeared, writing books, developing qualifications and other interesting projects. By the early 00's I was working on higher education programmes as well as a well known networking academy.

By 08, it was time to move on and into higher education. I have no regrets regarding further education yet by 05, it was clear that the tide was turning and the smart move was to move on. With eight years at the Open University now under my belt - I am still finding new opportunities and loving the experience. Education is an ever changing world, it is not the same as I found it in 1996.

Chances are I may only be 1/2 way - I could easily put another 20 years in.

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