The University of Auckland is where I got my university degree. I was part of the business school but, as a self-taught programmer, I always had a technical inclination. My lecturer in Information Management recognised this and asked if I would run tutorials for students in his technical courses.

Initially I started by running tutorials and problem clinics for around 70 students taking Information Management 192 (“Business Analysis and Applications”) and 291 (“Web Applications for Business”). The content of these courses covered Windows Forms .NET development, ASP.NET development, and Microsoft SQL Server database design.

Tutorials consisted of some theory with a code-along exercise, but as I gained experience I also took over some of the primary lectures which were entirely theoretical. I got to be quite comfortable in front of a large audience!

The following year I became a tutor administrator. I coordinated a team of three tutors. I scheduled tutorials, managed content, and coached them on their delivery. When we got it right, it was super rewarding to see students—business students who never thought they would be able to program—getting it!