On Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September, ABPS Tuition had it's first foray into the world of Photoshop education. Two clients from D.I.G.O (Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation) had requested tutoring services to learn the basics of Photoshop, and to learn about entry level compositing techniques.
In order to be able to have two computers for the clients to use, I had to seek the use of appropriate facilities. In negotiation with CIT as part of my professional development and research for my course, I was able to secure use of the new digital darkroom facilities to run my 2 day course.
One of the first and most important principles of my tutoring business is that I cater to a clients specific needs. In order to facilitate this, I had to find out beforehand what they needed to learn and their current level of proficiency so I could build a lesson plan.
The two clients had slightly varied levels of experience. One had used Photoshop a reasonable amount (rated as a "Beginner") and the other had only received a small amount of exposure to Photoshop (rated as a "New User") I had to take this into account when developing my lesson plans to ensure that both clients would emerge from the tutoring session feeling they had been taught all they needed to know to perform their jobs.
These requirements were fuelled by the type of work these two are engaged in. During the lesson, I covered the important fundamentals of using Photoshop, including elements such as opening files, saving options, navigating the interface and using the various tools.
Once the basic skills of navigating Photoshop and using its tools, we moved onto basic editing and compositing techniques. In order to keep the content and direction of this portion of the lesson relevant, I had sought information from the clients as to the nature of the work they do. The work they do generally involves compositing satellite imagery for planning purposes so I geared my lesson to the skills that are involved in this type of work.
Overall I had to be able to not only plan from the start the skills I would need to teach, but also be able to adapt on the fly due to any difficulties that may arise during teaching, the speed at which the clients were picking up the skills, and any other points the clients brought up during the course.
At the conclusion of the lessons, I received some brief positive feedback from the clients, and I also emailed them my feedback form (see blog post "Forms") to get some more detailed feedback. At the time of writing I had received feedback from one of the clients highly praising the course and stating that he was very impressed.
With the intial trial run proving to be a success, I feel much more confident and prepared for future tutoring sessions, and am now actively promoting my business and seeking new clients.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The business angle of my folio
As I have stated in my folio brief, the current work I have planned out for myself this semester revolves around using Photoshop in various ways to illustrate my capability in using this program.
The reason I have chosen to focus my folio in this fashion is to use the end products as marketing material for my Photoshop tutoring business. Much like a photographer, artist or designer, potential clients aren't only (if at all) interested in the technical qualifications of a person, but in their portfolio.
I believe this same principal applies to the kind of tuition work I wish to do. I have my qualifications in graphic design, photography, and my Adobe certification, however I still believe that people will want to see what I can do with this program. This will aim to further cement the idea that I am capable with this program, and will therefore encourage more clients to enlist my services.
The reason I have chosen to focus my folio in this fashion is to use the end products as marketing material for my Photoshop tutoring business. Much like a photographer, artist or designer, potential clients aren't only (if at all) interested in the technical qualifications of a person, but in their portfolio.
I believe this same principal applies to the kind of tuition work I wish to do. I have my qualifications in graphic design, photography, and my Adobe certification, however I still believe that people will want to see what I can do with this program. This will aim to further cement the idea that I am capable with this program, and will therefore encourage more clients to enlist my services.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Adobe Certified Expert
A long time goal of mine, and an important marketing angle for my business, was to become an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop. Earlier this year I achieved that goal and became a Photoshop CS5 A.C.E.
The certification logo
Now what exactly does this mean?
An Adobe certification is given to those who demonstrate a very high level of technical knowledge of the given program/s they are certifying for. Adobe have long been the industry standard in graphics software, and a certification in their programs is highly regarded by those in the industry.
My primary goal for this certification was to use it to show to my potential tutoring clients that I have a very high level of knowledge in the program. This in turn will make them feel more comfortable and confident with enlisting my services.
What's next?
Since my focus with this certification was to use it in an educational capacity, the next step for me is to become an Adobe Certified Instructor. Becoming an A.C.I means I would be even more able to effectively communicate and teach the subject matter, and be able to show that to my potential clients using the A.C.I certification.
In order to become an Adobe Certified Instructor, I require a teaching qualification. It is now my intention, possibly next year, to obtain a (CERT IV < check name of course and institution) Once I have achieved this, all i need to do is submit proof to Adobe, and I will gain my A.C.I qualification.
An important facet of becoming an A.C.I is that it allows me to potentially be hired in the future by an Adobe Authorised Training Centre. These centres only hire A.C.I's to teach Adobe products, and as such provides these businesses with a high level of credibility and visibility within the Adobe product training industy. This provides me with yet another employment opportunity.
The certification logo
Now what exactly does this mean?
An Adobe certification is given to those who demonstrate a very high level of technical knowledge of the given program/s they are certifying for. Adobe have long been the industry standard in graphics software, and a certification in their programs is highly regarded by those in the industry.
My primary goal for this certification was to use it to show to my potential tutoring clients that I have a very high level of knowledge in the program. This in turn will make them feel more comfortable and confident with enlisting my services.
What's next?
Since my focus with this certification was to use it in an educational capacity, the next step for me is to become an Adobe Certified Instructor. Becoming an A.C.I means I would be even more able to effectively communicate and teach the subject matter, and be able to show that to my potential clients using the A.C.I certification.
In order to become an Adobe Certified Instructor, I require a teaching qualification. It is now my intention, possibly next year, to obtain a (CERT IV < check name of course and institution) Once I have achieved this, all i need to do is submit proof to Adobe, and I will gain my A.C.I qualification.
An important facet of becoming an A.C.I is that it allows me to potentially be hired in the future by an Adobe Authorised Training Centre. These centres only hire A.C.I's to teach Adobe products, and as such provides these businesses with a high level of credibility and visibility within the Adobe product training industy. This provides me with yet another employment opportunity.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Forms
As part of my business set up, I had to create a series of form templates. Here are the current versions of my most commonly used forms.
This is my current booking form. I use this to get basic client details, as well as get a gauge on their current level of Photoshop proficiency and areas they wish to receive tuition in.
The current version of my invoice, showing services provided and payment details. I have listed the fact I am not registered for GST since my GST status is important to certain clients.
This is my quote form. I do not anticipate this form getting much use, as it is primarily intended for clients who require official notice of fees prior to booking in for a tutoring session. This form has been used once for my first job, since this was submitted to a government department for review first.
As is important in any business, knowing what your clients thought of the way the business is run, and the value they got from the services provided is of vital importance. To this end, a form was devised to facilitate useful feedback. This form underwent significant revision after consultation with Julian regarding the types of questions that needed to be asked.
Here is the original feedback form prior to review with Julian. Julian suggested the questions were geared towards always receiving positive answers that would not be particularly beneficial to helping me improve my business. The questions asked in the first draft are too "teacher-centric", focussing entirely on my perfomance as a teacher, and not enough on the feelings of the clients as to the value of the service.
These forms are always under potential review to meet the requirements of my business as it goes on.
This is my current booking form. I use this to get basic client details, as well as get a gauge on their current level of Photoshop proficiency and areas they wish to receive tuition in.
The current version of my invoice, showing services provided and payment details. I have listed the fact I am not registered for GST since my GST status is important to certain clients.
This is my quote form. I do not anticipate this form getting much use, as it is primarily intended for clients who require official notice of fees prior to booking in for a tutoring session. This form has been used once for my first job, since this was submitted to a government department for review first.
As is important in any business, knowing what your clients thought of the way the business is run, and the value they got from the services provided is of vital importance. To this end, a form was devised to facilitate useful feedback. This form underwent significant revision after consultation with Julian regarding the types of questions that needed to be asked.
Here is the original feedback form prior to review with Julian. Julian suggested the questions were geared towards always receiving positive answers that would not be particularly beneficial to helping me improve my business. The questions asked in the first draft are too "teacher-centric", focussing entirely on my perfomance as a teacher, and not enough on the feelings of the clients as to the value of the service.
These forms are always under potential review to meet the requirements of my business as it goes on.
A business idea come to life
Recently, the Photoshop tuition business I have been building officially launched.
The idea came to me late last year when I was asked for some advice regarding a particular Photoshop technique. While, for me personally, being asked for Photoshop advice was nothing new, it sparked the idea that I could perhaps make a commercial venture out of my knowledge of this program.
Early this year, I started doing a small amount of planning, including designing a business logo, a rough draft of a flyer, and an initial draft of what my invoice would look like.
Shortly after this intial planning stage, CIT started back up, and the tuition project was placed on the backburner so I could concentrate on my study. During the semester one very significant step towards my business launching did take place, gaining my qualification as an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CS5 (see blog post "Adobe Certifed Expert")
During the mid year break I once again delved into more planning. During this stage I created the templates for my invoice, quote, booking and student feedback forms. (see blog post "Forms")
My intentions for launching this business were known to most of my class. Recently thanks to Guy Young, I was able to secure my first clients. My first clients were work colleagues of Guy's, working at D.I.G.O (Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation) For a breakdown of this intial session, see blog post "Trial Run"
The business is now operating, and as time goes on I will hopefully gain valuable teaching skills as well as a generous second income.
DRAFT... Still adding detail
The idea came to me late last year when I was asked for some advice regarding a particular Photoshop technique. While, for me personally, being asked for Photoshop advice was nothing new, it sparked the idea that I could perhaps make a commercial venture out of my knowledge of this program.
Early this year, I started doing a small amount of planning, including designing a business logo, a rough draft of a flyer, and an initial draft of what my invoice would look like.
Shortly after this intial planning stage, CIT started back up, and the tuition project was placed on the backburner so I could concentrate on my study. During the semester one very significant step towards my business launching did take place, gaining my qualification as an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CS5 (see blog post "Adobe Certifed Expert")
During the mid year break I once again delved into more planning. During this stage I created the templates for my invoice, quote, booking and student feedback forms. (see blog post "Forms")
My intentions for launching this business were known to most of my class. Recently thanks to Guy Young, I was able to secure my first clients. My first clients were work colleagues of Guy's, working at D.I.G.O (Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation) For a breakdown of this intial session, see blog post "Trial Run"
The business is now operating, and as time goes on I will hopefully gain valuable teaching skills as well as a generous second income.
DRAFT... Still adding detail
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)