Saylor Academy: How long have you worked in Saylor Academy?
Addie: I’ve been working for Saylor Academy for almost three years. I started as an independent contractor, and after I received my Master’s in Instructional Technology, I was offered the position of Education Project Manager.
SA: Can you tell us about your work? What is that you do at Saylor Academy?
A: I work with Subject Matter Experts, from professors to just other experts, to create college courses and series.
SA: What does a typical workday look like for you?
A: On a typical workday you wake up, you check your emails, you communicate with the Subject Matter Experts that are working on courses, you check in on them to see if they need anything, or if a deadline is approaching. So communicate, check emails, communicate, and then review documents that they have submitted, like exams, course outlines, or course blueprints.
SA: What do you like the most about your work?
A: Learning. I can learn so much, you know. I feel like the smartest person in the bar at the party. If you just say stuff about something complex that I learned from Saylor, from updating a Saylor course. So, you just learn a lot and I enjoy it.
SA: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: Before I had a TV in my room, I would read like an entire book maybe in like a night or two nights. It’s so sad ever since I got a TV I’ve been lacking in the reading department. But I need to get back on that. But I do like reading. I like reading historical fiction books. And hanging out with my daughter, I have an 11-year-old daughter.
SA: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: To make everyone happy, I mean, I would take care of mental health and just make people happy. Yeah, that would be my superpower. To make everyone very happy.
SA: How do you see Saylor Academy fit in the educational landscape in the years to come?
A: You know, when I first started college there was no online school. You had to go to school, you had to go to the physical classroom. I lived on campus did all of that it was a great experience. And then online learning started. I thought, “It’s not going to be the same. It really cannot be the same.” But, you know, as technology advances, I think that there’s a lot of room to fill the gaps. So I think Saylor will fill in those gaps. We have free courses, we offer free courses. There are school systems around the world that use our courses to supplement what they’re teaching. I think that our role will be the source where instructors, educators can come and find all our content that they can supplement their learning materials with.
SA: How do you think Saylor Academy has helped you advance in your career?
A: I’ve worked with a lot of great people, very intelligent people that you learn from. So, I’ve learned a lot from Tanner, he’s a Quality Assurance Manager. He’s really good with constructing learning outcomes, and just making sure a course flows correctly. I mean, I just Iearned a lot that will help me professionally, like skill development.
SA: Anything else you want to share with us?
A: I think majoring in philosophy as an undergraduate really helped me mentally because you just see things from so many different perspectives. I’m really proud of that. When I was enrolled in the philosophy program, I was like, “What am I doing? Why am I doing this?”. But the more I got into it and learned about past philosophers, from Descartes to Locke, or just seeing how knowledge has evolved, I think it really prepares you to live in society.
Want to learn more about the people behind Saylor Academy and our mission to provide free education to all? Check out our other employee interviews here and learn more about our mission here!