MCT Success Story: Richard Hubbard
MCP Success Story
Trainer, train thyself!
Richard Hubbard says that should be his motto. Hubbard is the training manager for New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, a training company in Buffalo, New York. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Microsoft Windows 2000, a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) who credits Microsoft certification with making his career possible and profitable.
"Training and certification have made a huge impact on my career because they have opened up many opportunities in the information technology (IT) field," says Hubbard.
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Hubbard has been involved with computers since 1976. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, and he earned a Computer Science Certificate in 1987. But that’s ancient history to Hubbard’s employers, colleagues, and students.
Microsoft Certifications Establish Credibility
Hubbard needed a better way to establish his credibility using industry-leading computer technologies, and Microsoft certification fit the bill. "My Microsoft certifications validate my knowledge as current, and I have kept up-to-speed as things have changed," he says.
Beyond establishing his expertise, Hubbard credits Microsoft certifications with broadening that expertise and making him a more valuable IT professional.
"Microsoft certifications have broadened my experience to the point where I can help people with many aspects of their business," says Hubbard. "I’m not the consultant who has only one solution to offer in response to every problem. Microsoft courses always cover a range of different situations with labs that try to solve different problems. To the uninitiated, the labs can sometimes seem disjointed. But to someone with some experience, the labs demonstrate that different real-world situations require different approaches. That’s a point I also try to stress in every class I teach."
Hubbard began his interest in Microsoft technologies about 14 years ago, mastering Microsoft C. He moved on to Microsoft Visual Basic six years ago. He has since become an expert in Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Windows 2000. But he’s not stopping there, as he is now focused on earning MCDBA 2000 certification and developing expertise in Microsoft Visual C++ "real soon."
To keep his knowledge current, Hubbard turns to a range of training tools. He finds Official Microsoft Learning Products as useful as his students do. Microsoft Press books are another favorite training tool "because they’re so well written."
No Substitute for Hands-on Experience
But Hubbard is quick to note that there’s no substitute for hands-on experience.
"I do small and medium-sized projects and use the software to gain practical experience," he says. "I also try to set up all the classrooms myself."
But can a classroom lab possibly give Hubbard the experience to train IT professionals working in corporate and other enterprise environments? Hubbard has reason to think so.
"Classrooms are microcosms of real environments," he notes. "They’re a little simplified, granted, but how many real-world environments have 15 or more Windows 2000 Servers or SQL Servers in one room? The classrooms are more like large companies than most people think."
Hubbard also relishes the benefits of interacting with other Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs), particularly other MCTs.
"Whenever I get the chance, I like to attend classes taught by MCTs I respect," he says. "Even if I have taught the class myself, I find that I can learn from others, both about the material and about how to be a better instructor. I owe it to my students to be the best instructor I can be." Although he likes the financial reward that came with his Microsoft certification and the career it has help to make possible, Hubbard enjoys the non-financial rewards even more.
"The rewards I have gained from Microsoft certification are many," he says. "Instead of helping only one company at a time to solve its technical problems, I’m helping 10 to 20 companies at a time to solve their technical problems, by training the next group of network professionals, programmers, and database administrators. I think that’s much more worthwhile for everyone."