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What I Don't Know Now
By Dave McGinnis
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TD Talk
Nobody knows everything, but it behooves us all to try.
Folk in tech world rarely—if ever—
see ourselves as complacent. We
traverse the globe in search of new
technologies we might exploit to increase
output, decrease energy expended
or both. We take pride in our ability to
overcome obstacles laid before us by
the various spaces we inhabit, and in so
doing expand our understanding of our
given duties. I’ve noticed over the years,
though, that some of us—and I openly
admit to this sin myself—decide at some
point that we know enough and can rest
on our current experience and knowledge.
A recent stint of boredom, however,
proved to me that, just like our artistic
counterparts, we bear a responsibility for
constantly expanding our repertoire in
terms of more than just equipment and
tricks, but in training.
For those in tech world who feel
deficient at times, two choices present
themselves. First, one could hide one’s
deficiencies for as long as possible, constantly
shucking and jiving to avoiding
confronting them. I can’t say that I recommend
this course of action, but listen to
bar-dwelling complainers long enough,
and you’ll soon realize that many apparently
follow this path. Second, regardless
of how much education one has previously
attained or what one learned over
the course of that education, one might
opt to find training opportunities and
utilize them. I’ve spent a great deal of time
seeking out ways to expand my own skill
set, and I’ve included some of my findings
below.
Convention Classes
Virtually all conventions—SETC, USITT,
LDI, etc.—host some form or fashion
of training seminars available to those
attending. These classes/seminars can
include programming for lighting consoles
(both newly released and currently
in circulation), rigging techniques or even
construction techniques. Some will lack
the necessary time to go truly in-depth
(though many will go as deep as necessary),
but most will offer at least a cursory
glance that acquaints one with the subject
being taught. Regarding certification,
some offer it, and others do not. To see
what classes await at a given convention,
just peruse their information or contact
the organization hosting it.
Union Classes
Most IATSE locals offer training
throughout the year in virtually every
technical discipline. Most of these courses
result in some form of official certification.
Some will limit training to members, but
many will allow non-members to take
classes at a higher cost. To learn what
opportunities exist with your local, simply
contact the local office or visit the IATSE
Web site—www.iatse-intl.org/home.
html—to find your local’s office Web site.
Your Local College/University
Continuing education means exactly
what it says. Granted, few, if any, of these
programs will offer programming courses
on the grandMA, but they can provide
TDs with chances to learn different welding
techniques, updated OSHA codes or
even shop management strategies. Some
will even offer courses in construction
techniques for new or existing materials,
and most will offer some form of credit
or certification upon satisfactory completion.
Best of all, these courses usually meet
regularly over an extended period—up
to a semester—which allows in-depth
exposure. They also tend to cost less than
equivalent courses taught in other venues
and meet in your community.
Private Instruction
This option presents both the greatest
and least outcomes of all mentioned here.
In this scenario, the TD asks a practitioner
of the necessary skill to teach him/her the
trade one-on-one. This option provides
numerous obvious advantages: depth of
study (and I do mean DEPTH), negotiable
compensation for the tutor (ranging from
a six-pack of beer to thousands of dollars),
ease of scheduling (both time and place
to meet) and freedom of both the tutor
and learner to guide the pacing. Sadly,
however, private tutelage often results in
great learning outcomes without official
certification. The TD can add the skill to
his/her resume, but every likelihood exists
that no certification will exist to substantiate
that claim.
For the TD in need of a skill update,
one or more of these options will usually
suffice, but which to use depends heavily
on availability and the TD’s ability to meet
the process’s demands. Where and how
one learns a new skill, however, means
far less than the fact that one has learned
it.
www.stage-directions.com • March 2010 55