A Fond Farewell

   Yesterday marked my 12^th anniversary at ITT Technical Institute. It was a day that should have been filled with nothing but happiness at reaching a milestone that does not happen to very many people today. In fact, according to some US statistics, the average employee will stay with a company for only 4.6 years; I, obviously, beat the average. I look back at this time as having been a fantastic period doing something I love. Being an educator has fulfilled a deep desire inside me to help others learn, grow, and become excited about something.

   All told, these past twelve years have been pretty fantastic! This is primarily due to my coworkers and me being absolutely focused on one thing and that has been trying our best to do whatever it takes to help our students realize dreams that they thought were impossible. We have had the opportunity, together, to help literally thousands take their first step - perhaps become their family’s first son or daughter to do so – towards earning a post-secondary degree and enjoying all the benefits and responsibilities that comes with it. Additionally, I have seen hundreds of graduates get well-paying jobs and, a few, even earn the titles of vice-president, president, and CEO at their respective organizations. These successes feel very personal to me.

   Because of no fault of my own, as of today, I am no longer employed at ITT Tech; I am off to do something else. I have no clue what is in store for me next, but I know it will be great. That is why I wanted to take just a few moments to write down my thoughts and thank each and every past student and graduate who has made this crazy journey possible. Also, I want to challenge each of you to reach out and help others learn something new this holiday season and beyond. It feels good to share something you are passionate about with others.

   I wish you a very merry Christmas and a very rewarding new year. If you have an idea of what my next journey should be, please leave it in the comments section below. Maybe this could be the start of a new idea - crowd-based employment.

   Thanks again, and happy, happy!

    -Bill

The Holiday Gift that Makes You a Super Hero!

We all know the vast amount of information, whether it be fact or fallacy, that exists on the Internet. And we know that it takes a little bit of "know how" to make your own website. Well here is a great way for anyone one from "one to ninety-two" to get started.

My friends over at opensource.com are constantly working to bring the latest happenings to us from the side of the computer world that offers huge opportunities for free. Today they sent out an update letting everyone know a new use for a Raspberry Pi - a device so inexpensive that everyone should have one. If you do not already have it, head on over to my previous post to learn a little more: More Raspberry Pi to Love.

Then have a look at this intro video about a new initiative called Coder for Raspberry Pi. I think it will whet your appetite.

Borrowing from the Coder for Raspberry Pi originators; "Coder is a free, open source project that turns a Raspberry Pi into a simple platform that educators and parents can use to teach the basics of building for the web. New coders can craft small projects in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, right from the web browser."

Check out the article describing how to use Coder for Raspberry Pi here: Raspberry Pi and Coder by Google for beginners and kids and look directly at the Coder for Raspberry Pi website here: A simple way to make web stuff on Raspberry Pi.

Thank you, Google, for yet another great opportunity to learn!