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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Alumni - revisiting and supporting the old University

I have just completed a survey for my old university - I won't name them here, but researchers will be able to find out who they are easily enough, as I made a comment and recommended one of their courses - which actually competes to some extent with what we do - in a comparison chart here recently, and my "vanity" web site includes my CV.

I have some fond memories of "X.X.X." as we knew it in those days, but have long since lost realistic touch. A sprinkling of school re-unions in the distant past, looking through lists of past graduates and what they're doing in the university's newsletter, and my school's one too, has brought few if any re-contacts with people who's company I enjoyed, and as I was living at home / commuting to both of these establishments, with a handful (school) and none (university) of my fellow students living in my own town, no firm "outside learning" links that have endured were established. Indeed, I can recall returning - just once - to my prior school. I was well received and have an endearing memory of realising that Mr Wood, the Latin teacher who had been a real tartar, was a truly lovely gentleman when I saw him in a different light. However, the overall feeling I've got from such events from the staff who taught me is "nice to see you - very briefly - now let us get on with our current job and I can't say that I can blame them for this attitude.

So my University survey was filled in looking fairly negative - "no, I don't use these facilities", "no, I don't read your bumph very much", "no, I don't attend your alumni events" and "no, I'm not going to give you shed loads of money". Yet at the same time, I have said that I am happy to advise current students and talk to groups of them / lecture, etc.

Times move on. Had I been resident at the University or School, had I been on a course / with a group who all get involved in reunions themselves, then I would be far more interested in reunions and even arranging them. But I'm not going to spend time and money attending events that past experience has not brought me to enjoy. I will add that Lisa and I have attended a number of her school reunions - and we host her class site on our servers and she does the updates. They are fun - I get involved through the osmosis, and really it's a post-school club where the school itself is not involved in it as a form of self-promotion.

Times move on. And I no longer live anywhere near the University or schools involved; beyond the very occasional involvement, I can make better and more focused use of my resources with current people and issues, and in my current place - what I can do, though, is go give heartfelt thanks to the people and institutions who helped get me there, and I'm happy to do so in public too.

Times move on. And I can find more local and focused ways to make gifts (financial or otherwise) that subsidising / promoting educational establishments which were paid for in one way or another at the time. My parents put in a very great deal financially - and we did the same for our children and would do it again. Others may wish to be philanthropic and bestow scholarships or pay for rebuilds of places they went to long ago - but isn't that just a case of putting in my money where others (such as the government / local authorities) have taken a look and decided it's not the best way to spend? It's notable that there's a new school being built 400 yards from where I live, and it's not funded by voluntary donations.

And yet ... for all the negativity I'm expressing, I would be more than happy to share appropriate life's experiences with current students. Via email, on the phone, in person, singly or in groups. But the key is in 'appropriate' sharing and (from an unscientifically small sample), I've felt that past attempts to help in this way - at the request of X.X.X. - have been so far off target as to provide little of use. I'm not requiring that every request for help should result in a life-revealing meeting, and indeed "success" could be regarded as having just one in ten such meetings make a difference (rather like selling a house - 10 people view and 9 do not make an offer, but it's a successful sale)

The final page of the University's survey asks for additional information, and I don't know if my logic / reasoning above will be of any interest to them - but I will send them a link to this text (the form box gives me 4 lines, which suggest that only a short comment is expected, so I'll keep it short). I'll admit to thinking that I won't hear further ... as the emails to fill in the survey all come from Paulo Gxxxx, who is "Head of Alumni Relations", but he doesn't invite me to contact him in any way - he tells me to contact Cxxxx Exxxxxx-Hxxxxxxx, who has a much modest role. I expect Paulo would want to talk with me if I was offering him shed loads of money ...




Learning from the above ... since Well House Consultants is also into the training business and we have a lot of 'Alumni', many of whom read this Blog.

1. I love the subjects I teach, and I love to hear how people are getting on with them. There is a DIRECT FORM back to me here to comment on the blog, and here to follow up on technical questions or for any other comment. I might end up answering with a suggestion of a course if I think it's appropriate - yes, that would bring us revenue - but I will not ask for a financial donation to give us extra for your course which will already have been paid for when you took it.

2. Our past delegates are our ambassadors, and we want to encourage you to remember us, and to be in touch. And we enjoy it when you do. "Come as a Student, leave as a friend" we say and - if you happen to be passing - stop by for a coffee. Gratis. If you want to stop over on your way to the South West, we'll provide a room at delegate rate at the hotel and I'll put aside that extra time to catch up with you if I possibly can.

There are other differences too, of course. More recent delegates v experiences than ended over 30 years ago. A tiny organisation where you WILL know the proprietor - he taught you - versus a huge organisation. And an owner operated business v one with purely employees.

Keeping up with past customers is such a pleasure when your heart is personally in it - and mine is. And that will endure while I remain
(written 2009-06-13, updated 2009-06-21)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
Z403 - Organisations
  [58] Call Centres, selling, and a pause for thought - (2004-09-22)
  [307] Farming yesterday - (2005-05-10)
  [472] Are you free on 29th October - Charity ball - (2005-10-21)
  [981] Finalist reception - Wiltshire Business of the Year - (2006-12-13)
  [1258] A day looking ahead for Well House Consultants - (2007-07-05)
  [1278] West Wilts Show - (2007-07-26)
  [1280] West Wilts - no longer Wet Wilts - show - (2007-07-28)
  [2012] The Wiltshire Police - (2009-01-29)
  [2015] Service Excellence Awards - (2009-01-30)
  [2026] Melksham Climate Friendly Group - (2009-02-05)
  [2128] Wiltshire - where everybody matters - (2009-04-13)
  [2271] Dogs Trust, Dog Show, Newbury - (2009-07-06)
  [2574] Summary of Wiltshire Core Strategy responses - (2010-01-13)
  [2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
  [2807] Canal through Melksham - the options and issues - (2010-06-13)
  [2869] Contact Information for Melksham Oak Community School - (2010-07-13)
  [2902] Community consultation - a true open input - (2010-08-04)
  [3317] Self Portrait (in words) - (2011-06-04)
  [3484] A Melksham Timeline - Domesday to present day - (2011-10-17)
  [3511] Melksham has a heart - have your picture taken and support the defibrillator appeal - (2011-11-06)
  [3604] Melksham Campus - a blog you can read, and a place you can comment - (2012-02-08)
  [3677] Some advise for guest speakers at meetings - (2012-03-31)
  [3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
  [3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
  [3774] Melksham - a new dawn - (2012-06-23)
  [4020] Melksham Community - Annual Report / MCAP - (2013-02-26)
  [4039] Seed Swap at Well House Manor - (2013-03-10)
  [4548] Melksham - two small townships, or one big one? - (2015-10-22)

G501 - Well House Consultants - Customer Service
  [72] On Customer Service - (2004-10-03)
  [91] On line every 24 hours - (2004-10-17)
  [126] Feedback shows the tip of an iceberg - (2004-11-22)
  [150] Confession - (2004-12-13)
  [189] Tuesdays and Fridays - (2005-01-25)
  [195] Customer service - examples to warn us - (2005-01-30)
  [233] Giving customers best value - (2005-03-02)
  [265] Business practise, 2005 style - (2005-04-03)
  [327] How far should our support go - (2005-05-28)
  [350] Want to be one better - (2005-06-17)
  [393] Trainer answers phone - (2005-07-28)
  [440] Upgrade! - (2005-09-09)
  [482] Different ways of selling - (2005-11-01)
  [552] Keeping Customers Informed - (2006-01-02)
  [566] May all your screw-ups be big ones - (2006-01-16)
  [569] Instructions for bright people - (2006-01-19)
  [609] Been on a course, but still not got it? - (2006-02-16)
  [621] And the staff put the icing on the cake - (2006-02-23)
  [628] Active Learning - (2006-02-28)
  [650] A person of few words - (2006-03-18)
  [717] A customer service company - (2006-05-11)
  [725] Better communication - (2006-05-19)
  [841] Forum help - a push in the right direction - (2006-08-21)
  [852] Eventful evening - a lesson in looking after contacts - (2006-09-02)
  [944] Just ******* Google it - (2006-11-25)
  [961] Products that our customers want more of - (2006-12-03)
  [966] CSL, KISS and RTFM - (2006-12-05)
  [1007] Friends and family - (2006-12-25)
  [1046] Bounce, bounce, bounce - (2007-01-20)
  [1262] Keep in touch with PHP, Perl, Python and old friends too - (2007-07-09)
  [1319] Customer feedback - lifeblood of a business - (2007-08-25)
  [1434] Market survey - to learn, to prove a point, or to sell your product? - (2007-11-17)
  [1446] An answer to a student asking 'Help' - (2007-11-27)
  [1516] Pictures you can use - for free - from our library - (2008-01-23)
  [1606] Sheep Shearers, Marathon Runners and Ocean Sailors - (2008-04-09)
  [1637] Providing exceptional service - and carrying on doing so. - (2008-05-09)
  [1835] 23:30 bookings and midnight checkins - (2008-10-12)
  [1985] Learning to program as a part of your job - (2009-01-10)
  [1991] Rules for a King - (2009-01-13)
  [2049] Why Choose Well House Consultants for your course? - (2009-02-20)
  [2102] What do people think of our Apache httpd / Tomcat course? - (2009-03-24)
  [2124] Building down expectations - (2009-04-09)
  [2258] Questions I have been asked on answering the phone - (2009-06-26)
  [2530] Taking a knock over Santa - (2009-12-08)
  [2650] Getting a phone line changed ... - (2010-02-25)
  [2880] Getting in touch - Please allow me to see you when you are online - (2010-07-21)
  [2961] Initial handling of phone calls and walk in visitors - (2010-09-19)
  [3073] Customer Service - the boundary - (2010-11-27)
  [3103] Thank you - and Happy Christmas - (2010-12-24)
  [3271] The importance of feedback - (2011-04-30)
  [3294] It's not just about the jam in the sandwich - (2011-05-19)
  [3378] New product - ensuring that supply matches demand - (2011-08-03)
  [3808] Can you put names to faces? - (2012-07-19)
  [3835] The Information age - not yet truly with us? - (2012-08-12)
  [4077] Palty or Parliamentary? - (2013-04-30)
  [4078] Train works for me! - (2013-05-02)
  [4232] Not wanted here - hotel guests who will not be happy - (2013-12-30)


Back to
Sending awkward characters by email in Perl
Previous and next
or
Horse's mouth home
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Taking a pride in the community
Some other Articles
How do I query a database (MySQL)?
Cornerstone Cafe, Melksham
Handling nasty characters - Perl, PHP, Python, Tcl, Lua
Taking a pride in the community
Alumni - revisiting and supporting the old University
Sending awkward characters by email in Perl
Loading external code into Perl from a nonstandard directory
Transforming data in Perl using lists of lists and hashes of hashes
Why sendmail one way, and pop3 the other?
What is CGI.pm / A dozen new examples
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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