May 19, 2021 | British Columbia

Brian has been with CDI College for over a decade. Over the years, many of his former Accounting and Payroll program students still stay in touch with him and update him on what they're doing. Occasionally, they come and sit in on his lectures. Not only is this rewarding for Brian, but he also finds it comforting to know he's had such a positive impact on someone that they'll want to keep engaging with him. It is testimony to how much passion and care he shows to his students.

A Life of Learning and Teaching

Brian didn't start off wanting to teach accounting and payroll subjects. He originally wanted to go into medicine but soon found out that he could not pursue this dream because he couldn't even handle raw meat in the kitchen. Luckily for CDI College, Brian transitioned quickly into accounting and payroll, learning from his father, Joe, who also teaches at a local career college.

Helping out his family with payroll and various tutoring experiences catapulted him into his new career. Shortly after getting certified at a local career college, Brian took on a teaching role with the organization. He's very thankful that his current Regional Director, Joan, took a chance on him over ten years ago. As he took on more responsibilities at the career college, Brian continued his education by taking extra courses.

Today, Brian is thrilled he's found his life’s passion in teaching. He wants to teach into retirement. He continues to pursue new certifications and training to increase the breadth of the skills he could pass on to his students.

Understanding and Being There for His Students

Because Brian went through the career college experience himself, he knows what his students need in their training. Instead of solely focusing on occupational skills and abilities, Brian tries to instill in his students the joy of the learning process.

A fascinating story demonstrates how deeply he cares for his student's well-being. Years ago, one of his students had a diabetic emergency during an evening class. Just two classes were on the campus grounds at the time. Brian acted quickly because of the first aid training he had and was able to call 911 and helped the rest of the class stay calm. Brian remained at the student's side in the hospital until the wee hours of the morning so that they wouldn't be alone.

As an educator, Brian tries to understand where his students come from to provide a tailored response to help them understand any given subject.

A Future in Career Training and Working in the Field

Brian is grateful that he gets the opportunity for self-development at the college and increasing his knowledge and expertise in the healthcare field.  Since he’s been with CDI College, he’s helped redevelop the Accounting and Payroll Administrator program curriculum and is now overseeing the First Aid training in the region.

He hopes to become an expert in so many different subject areas. Who knows what one might be able to reach out to him for in the future?

Meet more amazing CDI College instructors like Brian by following CDI College on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (links).