Sean G.
Galloway, OH
Decades of computer and photography experience; patient teacher.
About Sean
Ever since I first started working with computers on the Atari 400/800 in the late 1970's, I've loved to learn about, and tutor in, all areas of computers: general operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, DOS, UNIX and Linux), business applications such as Word and Excel, plus programs to help with my photography workflow (Adobe Photoshop and Adobe
Policies
Cancellation
12 hours notice requiredComputer and photography skills: $75/hr. AARP and Golden Buckeye Card - 10% discount. Group rates and multiple hour session rates available on request.
Travel Radius
Travels within 20 miles of Galloway, OH 43119"Great tutor!"
- Matt, Columbus, OH on 12/19/14I came to Sean for help with Microsoft Excel for my CSE 2111 class at OSU. I was able to receive an A due to his help. Sean was extremely patient and took extra time to help me understand concepts. Sean was a great tutor who I would recommend to anyone.
"Very friendly, helpful and patient."
- Eric, Columbus, OH on 7/25/13Sean and I had the pleasure of meeting to discuss features of Microsoft Excel. He was friendly, courteous and helpful. I would recommend him as a tutor for people of all ages and all skill levels.
"Great Tutor!!"
- Kris, Columbus, OH on 2/3/13Sean is a very patient tutor. He covered everything I asked for. He is very knowledgeable with Outlook. I would highly recommend Sean for your computer needs. I'm definitely calling on Sean again.
"Computer Expert"
- Clyde, Columbus, OH on 10/12/12I am a grad student working on my master’s degree, and Sean (technology expert) was a great benefit when I needed help with technology problems in the class that I needed help understanding. Sean was there to not only help me review/understand the work, but he was also very patient going over the work until I understood the excel program. I would recommend Sean for a tutor to anyone who may be having trouble with excel, and any other technology programs for class, work or personal activities.
"Excellent"
- Alice, Pickerington, OH on 5/26/12My tutoring session with Sean was outstanding. His knowledge was beyond my expectations. Photoshop Elements was the class, but, in addition, he was able to go beyond that and tutor me on my camera. Again his knowledge was amazing. Understanding of both are critical to my needs. Very good communication and patient. He makes house calls which is a plus. I received an overview from Sean of the lesson and this will be helpful as I review the points covered. I highly recommend Sean.
"Great Tutor!"
- Susan, Columbus, OH on 3/16/12Great tutor. Was so enthusiastic and willing to help me. Easy to reach/quick responses by email. Looking forward to the next lesson.
Approved subjects are in bold.
Approved subjects
In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.
Adobe Illustrator
I have been using Illustrator for vector design since the early '90s. I use the entire Adobe Creative Suite and Cloud extensively on both Mac and PC - familiar with all modern versions to current - and use Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Photoshop and Illustrator in my photographic workflow on a daily basis.
Adobe Lightroom
When I first started using Lightroom 4 in 2012 to improve my photography workflow, I was amazed at how quickly it allowed me to cull and organize my huge library of over 15,000 images. After going through all of my images in one pass, I can now quickly and easily find that photograph of a red flower taken over ten years ago - with a few simple keystrokes. Upgrading to Lightroom 5 brought many new features I was excited to learn and apply. If you find yourself with thousands of photos you feel you just can't manage and organize, let me show you how Lightroom can be your go-to for the majority of your photography workflow needs.
Adobe Photoshop
I have been using Photoshop since it was first released exclusively on the Macintosh in the early '90s. I use the entire Adobe Creative Suite and Cloud extensively on both Mac and PC - familiar with all modern versions to current - and use Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Photoshop and Illustrator in my photographic workflow on a daily basis.
Computer Science
Having worked personally and professionally with commercial and home technology ranging from the early '80s to the present, I can tutor anyone in just about any technology-related subject. My goal is to use analogies and real-world examples to train concepts in an accessible way, to the average person. Sure, I can geek-out and get very technical, but if you can't understand me, I'm not doing my job. Need help setting up a printer? I'm not going to just set it up for you, I'm going to show you how to set it up, why you select certain settings, and let you "drive," so you learn by experience. Want to transfer pictures from your phone to your computer so you can post images on the Internet? The same concepts apply: I help, show, guide; and you walk through step-by-step until you get it. Computer science is about input, processing and output - but these days, it's more about understanding people, and helping them work best and become comfortable with the tools at their disposal.
DOS
Having used DOS before it was DOS (CP/M), and continuing to learn and use the Windows command-line, I am able to show students the commands behind the graphical interface (GUI). There are times when clicking a button in a window just isn't enough, and sometimes a DOS command will do the same thing as a button pressed - but with more granularity and control. Basic commands like dir, copy and move; along with more advanced commands like ipconfig to show network settings.
General Computer
I started working on an Atari 400/800 when I was seven years old learning the Logo programming language. I then learned BASIC programming on the Atari 2600. Throughout the years, I've worked with most personal computers, including:
* Commodore products (PET, SuperPET, VIC-20, Commodore 64 and C128)
* Apple Macintosh systems including the original Apple computers
* IBM PC and clones
* Silicon Graphics (SGI) Workstations and Servers
* HP Workstations and Servers
* Linux-based AMD and x86/64 Systems
* Sun/Oracle Workstations and Servers
I am Microsoft certified (MCP, MCP+I and MCSE), hold a certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHCE), and also for Sun/Oracle Solaris (SCSA). If it's a computer, I've probably worked on it, serviced it, and supported it.
As a general computer tutor, I understand that sometimes people want to simply get the job done, while others wish to actually learn the material. I can tutor to the entire wide range of needs, although I do prefer my clients "drive" (work the computer's keyboard and mouse) while I explain, so they learn more quickly.
No one knows everything, but I promise to keep track of your questions during a session, give you answers quickly (where appropriate), and tutor to those questions during the next session.
Linux
I have been administering Linux since the early days of Slackware back in the early 90's. I currently hold an RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) certification, and have been professionally working with Linux for well over 15 years.
Macintosh
When Apple released the first one-piece Macintosh back in the mid 80's, I was one of the first people to learn, and teach my fellow students, how to use the interface. I also taught myself more advanced configuration and debugging techniques at a very early age. I have since owned, managed and maintained a large number of Macintosh computers, including desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. I am familiar with Apple-friendly printing, wired and wireless networking, and the most popular applications and suites such as the Adobe product line and Apple iWork/iLife.
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular spreadsheet applications, especially in the workplace. Maintaining an average level of expertise in Excel allows you to let the computer perform tedious and repetitive tasks, giving you the information you need, in the format required. I started teaching spreadsheets during the MS-DOS years with the text-based Lotus 1-2-3, and have kept up with spreadsheet technology ever since. Over the years, text and arrow keys were replaced by the mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI). Built-in macro processing, powerful formulas, graphs and charts, and visual styles allow for a more sophisticated connection between the information you have, and the way you want to present it. The interconnected Microsoft Office suite allows you to number crunch and create a graph in one window, transfer that graph to Microsoft PowerPoint to create a presentation, and e-mail that presentation to your team members for review in Microsoft Outlook. With over two decades of teaching and practical experience, let me show you how to leverage Microsoft Excel and other technologies, to make your life easier, and get the job done.
Microsoft Outlook
I have been a power user of Microsoft Outlook since the early days of the application. I am familiar with basic configuration (Outlook to Exchange server, IMAP and POP), configuring signatures and stationery, managing attachments, in addition to more advanced settings such as using Outlook to communicate via secure transmission methods.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is the industry-standard presentation platform, used by most businesses to explain complex concepts to employees, management and customers. Having an average level of proficiency in PowerPoint not only looks great on your resume, but it also helps you to communicate more effectively as you climb the corporate ladder - or sell products and services in your own business.
After years of creating effective presentations for myself, and helping others do so as well, I can help you apply this technical, design and communications knowledge toward your own projects. Bring along a current or future project, or we can simply start off with a blank template and go from there.
PowerPoint gets easier as you start to use it more, and tutoring is a great place to start. We can go over the basics of presentations, and work on advanced topics such as embedded multimedia and custom templates.
Microsoft Windows
I have been using and administering the Microsoft Windows operating system, both at home and at work, since its first release. Prior to Windows, I used DOS, so am very familiar with command-line and advanced Windows configuration and tools. I can tutor basic and advanced home and professional editions of Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7. I am also familiar with virtualization applications - for example, running Windows operating systems on a Macintosh using Boot Camp, VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop. As a photographer, I am well-versed in photography workflow, and can show how to import, manage, manipulate and optimize images for various uses (web/print).
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is the corporate standard for writing documents of all sorts. With scripting and macros, Word is completely extensible, and can do pretty much whatever you'd like it to do. Improving your Word skills doesn't just give you a boost at work, but can also help at home - writing letters, sending faxes, and designing basic posters. With plenty of free templates available to explore, Word has many easy solutions available, ready to go! When fully-functional word processors came out in the MS-DOS years, I taught Microsoft Word for DOS, and later taught the first Windows versions to people at work new to the technology. As text-only editing was replaced by heavy mouse use and graphical user interfaces (GUI), new challenges appeared, and learning curves changed. With Microsoft Office interconnectivity, you can create a chart in Microsoft Excel, pass it over to a letter in Microsoft Word, and mail-merge that with a database of names and addresses in Microsoft Access. With over two decades of teaching and practical experience, I can show you how to leverage Microsoft Word and related technologies, to make any writing project easier.
Networking (Computer)
I started teaching myself networking back in the military in 1988 and before that learned message routing techniques that BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) would use such as FidoNet.
I have taken classes toward my CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Administrator) certification and use networking (both wired and wireless) extensively both at home and at work.
I am well-versed in maximizing security posture and risk through the use of encryption, authentication, firewalls, penetration testing and other intrusion detection and prevention tools and techniques.
I enjoy teaching these concepts and can tutor to any of these from an experienced background.
Photography
After purchasing my first black-and-white film SLR camera and darkroom equipment back in the '80s, I have constantly improved upon my photography skills, learning new technologies, techniques and the art of photography. With a full amateur studio including various cameras, lenses, backdrops and lighting equipment, in addition to computers for processing the images, I can show the beginner how to improve upon their photography using various time proven camera and lighting methods. Also workflow improvement is a favorite topic: from taking pictures, to transferring the files to a computer for printing, archiving or uploading to various social media sites on the Internet. I can tutor on equipment ranging from point-and-shoot to digital SLR; on-camera flash to remote controlled studio strobes.
UNIX
First using UNIX on the Sun SPARCstation in the mid-80s, I taught myself UNIX commands by reading manual pages. After years of UNIX experience on many platforms (Sun, HP, SGI and IBM) and a Sun certification (SCSA), in addition to extensive Linux experience, I enjoy tutoring in UNIX. Both command-line and GUI (X11/Xorg) along with window managers such as Gnome, KDE and CDE. Working with printers, networking (wireless and wired, LAN [local] and WAN [wide]), NAS (Network-Attached Storage), SAN (Storage Area Network) and local disks. Configuration of tape backups, network configuration and tools, secure remote connections, web server (Apache), clients (Firefox), tools (PHP/Perl) and databases (MySQL). I can also tutor in using and configuring web applications such as WordPress, Joomla and others.
Other Galloway, OH Tutors
Sean G.
Galloway, OH
Decades of computer and photography experience; patient teacher.