[GIVEAWAY] Win 1 seat to a Multi-Day Smartsheet University course

KirbyK

A public speaking course in college. I remember not being able to get it together every time I had to go in front of the entire class. My professor not only pushed me to do it every class, but once I got better, he would add obstacles and distractions to make it more challenging for me. He would look for ways to make me "fail" but in reality, he was helping me to succeed.

bryan.krusch

A few years ago, I took a week-long retreat with Maurizio Travaglini, of Architects of Group Genius. I had just turned 30 and it was a remarkable event. It was aimed at making a cultural shift within our assembly plant of 5,000

We focused on eating healthy foods, we read, wrote, and conversed in small-group and large-group settings. Inter-mixing with senior-level managers and union laborers. Working in this fashion allowed us to see each other as equals. It made me realize more about myself and other people than I have in many other settings.

One resounding thing that stuck with me was something we learned from Ed Catmulls' book, Creativity Inc. The importance of using honesty and candor in business discussions.

Frank Dunning III

Any of the History or Philosophy courses I attended in college. I loved the material, and the professors helped make it enjoyable.

tmanganelli

I have typed and deleted about 14 different answers. I was one of those people who couldn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up (I'm still not positive, but I at least have a category now). And when I think through my Music Education, Speech Language Pathology, Computer Science & Programming, and eventually HR Majors, and even now, one thing stands out on each of those 'favorite courses'. I tend to be a self-paced learner, it is easier for me to go at my own pace and re-visit where necessary. When it comes to live courses, any time the instructor comes off as an actual human instead of an AI Robot it sticks in my memory. If they show passion for the material they are teaching and not just reading from a slide, I find it easy to stay engaged, and my mind doesn't wander off (which if you noticed by my wide array of career choices in my early years, happens easily and often).

Ryan Woj

In high school we had a fun process mapping class. It sounds boring, but the class was made up of games that taught us process mapping by looking at the different steps in the process that we each had in the game. It has had a big impact in my life in terms having a skill set that has crossed every one of my jobs.

Kelly W

My initial Smartsheet certification course has been one of my most influential courses I've taken. I signed up and completed my Smartsheet certification because my boss at the time constantly referenced it. After taking the course I became one of the few people in the company and quickly became the go-to person for it. Since then I've built Smartsheet-based project management information systems for several clients and a business management system for my current company. It has allowed me to accelerate my career and bring excessive value to our team.

SandyV

One of my favorite courses was actually a series of courses - in Spanish. I loved learning the language and I was able to use it, and get even better, while in Spain for a couple of weeks.

rickai

My favorite course was a week long information security certification course through SANS Institute. A few things made it great. The instructor was fantastic at engaging the class in conversation and exercises, in addition to lecture. Though it was a certification preparation course, it didn't just focus on passing the test. The instructor used many real-world examples, engaging practical challenge to reinforce the material and after class challenges (with prizes for winners). One after class challenge was a hack-a-thon where you had to pass various technical hurdles in a race style competition.

NaomiH

Favorite course - PowerBI! I was matched with a mentor in my org who heard my need for improving data analytics and storytelling and he encouraged me to get my certification. I went through the whole course and got my certification and it's been so useful! I love any course that demos as you go along, or allows you to actually do the work. It's how I learn best. One of the reasons I really like SmartU!

Jerry in SC

Hi. Jerry Schafetz here. In College I had the opportunity to take a history class. Growing up, I was never a fan of history. Dates / Places / Names and the memorization of these facts to get a passing grade was not something I did very well. However, this class first discussed an event, and then "WHY" the event happened. What led up to it. How the event went, and what was the outcome. I found it very interesting and engaging.

TomG

I am a life long learner, academically, vocationally, spiritually and in general. It's like a baited trap I fall for every time. Hence my compulsion to enter the contest!

While this will sound completely self serving for this contest, my favorite non-academic training has been Smartsheet U courses. The benefits have been incredible as I'm now working on adapting a second PMO to the wonders of Smartsheet. As a long time PM, I've used tools that force the organization to adapt their ways of working to the toolset, often to the detriment of the business and users. Smartsheet provides a different approach providing an adaptable framework that helps improve efficiency and productivity for how people get work done. I know our community already knows this, but it still impresses me every time folks react and realize how liberating Smartsheet can be.

My favorite academic course actually had nothing to do with my degree. The course was "History of Jazz". Prior to that class, I had no awareness of jazz music beyond that it existed. I was a hard rock guy and really did not listen to much else (sad, I know). The professor was very well connected in the business at that time and taught of the history of jazz, structure of the music and how it had evolved over the decades. Then he brought in big name artists to demonstrate what we were learning and share their perspective on the music, industry and their struggles and stories. We heard the reality of jazz from it's infancy to the current day from those living it daily both as artists and business people. The head of Gruzin records at the time came and spent a day with us talking about the history and future of the jazz recording industry. It was an absolutely fascinating semester. It culminated in our final exam (which was coincidently the last final of my undergrad degree) which turned out to be a 90 minute concert/jam session from all those famous artists who had blessed us during the semester. It was an incredible way to finish not only a great course, but my undergrad degree. I told as many undergrad friends as I could about that class and told them they should absolutely add this to their course schedule as soon as possible.

And yes, there was some serious celebration that started that afternoon and went well into the evening! 🤣

RAllen

UDEMY Revit API course in C# was great. I had the fundamental but having a trainer walk through every aspect of working in Visual studio, setting up the environment, addin libraries and making calls to create a Revit Addin.

Beth Fantozzi 1

I had a great experience taking a class on how to create your own landscaping design. I loved it because the instructor was really passionate about the topic and had years of experience under his belt. The other students in the class were like me - excited to learn and out of their comfort zone. It was a great reminder of why I like to learn. Not only to I grow but getting to do it alongside others is great!

Kimm Wright

One of my favorite classes was an online college class for virtual administration. Even though the information in the course is now obsolete, I walked away with a wealth of information that I could apply right away to make my job streamlined and run more smoothly.

sgintexas

Going back to school as an adult to complete my degree was a rewarding experience. Surprisingly, the math classes were my favorite, even though it was my least favorite subject the first time around.