Comments on: Just What is Training?

By: The DBA Plate for 2016 - Thomas LaRock

The DBA Plate for 2016 - Thomas LaRock — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 22:20:25 +0000

[…] This is the little side plate to everything else that you do. Think of it like having a few strips of bacon with your meal. You need to be constantly keeping up to date with the latest trends in technology. Most of this training is a lot of self-help, but you can also attend events such as SQL Saturdays or the PASS Summit. Just make certain that you reinforce whatever you have been taught by taking the time to lay your hands on the product or piece of functionality. […]

By: Troubleshooting Azure Connectivity: Ports and Endpoints - Thomas LaRock

Troubleshooting Azure Connectivity: Ports and Endpoints - Thomas LaRock — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 15:06:33 +0000

[…] A few months from that trip to Austin I found myself at SQLBits, delivering a precon with Karen López (blog | @datachick). We’ve built out some VMs in Azure so that our attendees can put their hands on something because that’s what makes for a proper training experience. […]

By: SQL Server on vSphere Workshop at VMware - SQLRockstar - Thomas LaRock

SQL Server on vSphere Workshop at VMware - SQLRockstar - Thomas LaRock — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 18:17:45 +0000

[…] written previously, and received negative feedback about, my opinions for what the word “training” means. So I was happy to see VMware do all the things I’ve said need to be done for a proper […]

By: The Parallax View Of Your Career - SQLRockstar - Thomas LaRock

The Parallax View Of Your Career - SQLRockstar - Thomas LaRock — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 20:26:39 +0000

[…] lecture format is what I find in use at most conferences, too. I’ve written before about how if you aren’t putting your hands on something then you aren’t being trained. The reason for my views on the subject go back to my days teaching mathematics as a graduate […]

By: Marlon Ribunal

Marlon Ribunal — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:13:28 +0000

I know 2 types of training: Classroom Training and Hands-on Training. They are both “training”, right?

When we talk about Technical Training, we usually do the lecture/classroom portion, then hands-on. That’s what we did when I got a certification training with KOFAX (my MCP was through self-study & hands-on).

Conferences are lecture-based most of the time with the hands-on part done mostly by the attendees either while they are in the lecture or afterwards in their desks at work or at home.

By: sqlrockstar

sqlrockstar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:47:32 +0000

In reply to Ken Watson.

Ken,

Thank you for your comment. Part of the motivation for the post is that I am seeing many CXOs not want to send employees to something that is promoted as “training” and turns out to be nothing more than a lecture format. Some employers expect more than that. I know that my former company would bring in trainers and have them conduct classes where we would actually touch the product. To me, that was training. If those same people had come in and just presented some ppt slides without us ever having touched the product, those people would have never been invited back.

I certainly understand that people don’t need to fall 40 feet to be trained on how to not fall 40 feet. Same for sexual harassment training, that doesn’t need to be hands on either. So I am struggling with how to define the different levels and styles of education that is being conducted.

Thank you for understanding that my post wasn’t meant as an attack on anyone in particular. I hope to write more about this subject in the coming months, as it would appear that it is a good topic for further discussion.

Tom

By: Ken Watson

Ken Watson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:42:07 +0000

Hi Tom,
Great post, and I agree with you, but I also agree with other comments here. I understand that you are trying to call things by their proper terms, or at least terms that make ‘sense’. Terms that describe, with accuracy, the type of presentation that is being offered.
I have conducted training. In a past life I was Safety Director for a large painting crew. It was impractical to demonstrate a fall from a 40 foot ladder, or a high pressure paint injection injury, but it was ‘training’, for lack of a more precise word, and we were mandated to provide it. In no way were my students expected to go out and practice what I had taught them, in fact, quite the opposite, but their ‘training’ was none the less instructional and helpful. Perhaps this should have been called a lecture, because there were nothing but projector slides and pamphlets provided. What we have here regarding the term used is ‘ambiguation’. This is defined as, “the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways, vagueness or uncertainty of meaning”
I don’t believe that Tom is trying to cast aspersions on anyone that trains as being inferior, rather he is simply trying to give different types of training their proper titles, or disambiguation of the concepts. Perhaps if we work together in defining better terms we could arrive at something that would benefit the community as a whole. For those of you who train for a living, this may even prove to be lucrative over time.