Lara Mellor

"The personality of coach is an exact match because that is what I do. I help coach people to use their software more effectively and waste less time. I like helping people and sharing my knowledge with others. The quality controller side reflects my mathematical background. I like attention to detail and processes which training is all about. I like working in situations where there is a definite right or wrong answer. I'm pleasantly shocked I came up as an influencer! This must be related to the support I like to give to others."

"I am a self employed Microsoft Trainer. I go into companies, or work remotely from home, and help staff to waste less time when using packages like Word and Excel. I love that lightbulb moment when something suddenly clicks and you know that the individual will be able to do their job better and faster because of it in the future. I enjoy sharing information. I like the variety of my work and meeting different people every day. No 2 days are the same. The starting salary is variable, being self employed it depends on how many days you want to work!!"

"I have always been scientifically minded. I took A levels in Maths, Chemistry and Physics with AS Biology. I then did a joint masters degree in Chemistry and Maths. I studied for an extra year to get my PGCE to enable me to teach. I spent 5 years as a secondary school maths teacher and in part of my role I helped introduce Microsoft Excel into the classroom. This ignited my love of teaching Microsoft products. I then spent 18 months working for an IT training company, sitting on many of their courses where I got my initial knowledge and from there made the big step of leaving full time employment to go down the self employed route. I have been running my own business now for over 20 years. It has had it's ups and downs but it is exciting knowing you are the master of your own destiny (and a little scary at times). If I didn't enjoy what I do I wouldn't be still doing it after all this time."

"I love skiff rowing and took part in the World Skiff Rowing Championships last year which was really exciting. Our crew made it to the finals which was amazing. I regularly row on the sea in Northumberland and if I am lucky I see dolphins, seals and puffins. It's great to get out in the open air doing some exercise after being indoors all day. It's important to do something to get you away from your job, however much you love it!!"

"There is no typical day!! Running my own business I get involved with marketing, sales and networking as well as the training side. A normal training day would involve driving to a clients site in good time to set up ready for a 9:30 start or walking my dogs on the beach before work if I am training from home remotely. I run training sessions for up to 8 people. Even if I'm training the same topic each group of people are different and have different requirements or a different angle on a topic. I have to be constantly thinking on my feet.I catch up on my admin at the end of the days. I also have days I set aside to upskill, learning from YouTube and other industry experts as the software constantly changes. It certainly never gets dull or repetitive."

"A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and PhysicsAS Level iN BiologyDegree in Chemistry and MathsPGCE in Maths teaching"