Since I was a little girl, I have loved "pushing buttons"!

When we were little - we LOVED it when our household received delivery of a new large appliance - that box was a whole new playland and afforded us so many possibilities!  When I could get my hands on a new large box, I created a rocketship or an office or a hidden room with individually cut out and coloured cardboard buttons glued all over the place amongst my pretend "screens".  Step inside and I would make things happen ... sounds like a wonderfully imagined Science Fiction ... it was.

My youth however was actually filled with dance classes, singing in and traveling the world with a choir (The Tempus Youth Choir), riding lessons, music, camping and fun - those "buttons" of my childhood fading away in to memory ...

I failed my Grade 9 Typing class.  My parents were actually called in to meet with the teacher who said she would pass me if they ensured that I did not take another business course!  So my way to business-like practical button-filled pursuits was blocked.

I ended up graduating University with an Honours BA in Drama and Communications - so I found a way to use my imagination AND keep my hands on those buttons.  From there I worked in the non-profit Theatre and Arts world, managed two of my own home-based businesses, eventually ending up in Government - working Summer Stock Theatre, traveling to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival as Stage Manager and Assistant Director of 2 productions, working in Toronto for the Inaugural Toronto Arts Awards, as the Individuals Events and Volunteer Coordinator for the Canadian Opera Company, as the Corporate Sponsorship and Events Coordinator for Ontario Place, as Development Manager at the Ontario Science Centre and (after moving to Burlington) Interim Corporate Sponsorship Manager for the City of Burlington. Phew!  I had some great jobs!

In 1994, while living in Toronto, I purchased my very first Apple Computer (a PowerMac 7200) and Apple Stylewriter Printer.  My son was 4 years old at the time and we enjoyed many hours of playing the original "Warcraft" as he excelled at making maps and navigating the different worlds.  I used that first Mac for accessing and exploring the internet and creating professional looking documents and webpages as I pushed boundaries and explored further to connect with friends/customers and colleagues.  At the time, I was working full-time at Ontario Place while running my own business marketing and selling my own creations (I was painting silk scarves & duvet covers!) as well as representing other beautiful one-of-a-kind products on behalf of "client" artist/friends.  It was a very creative time in my life.

It was while working at the Ontario Science Centre that my love for all things Apple was rekindled in a different way - previously I had had only one friend that had a Mac.  The Science Centre was FULL of Apple computers - being used both on the display room floors as well as "backstage" in the offices and graphic design/production facilities.  The Science Centre was in love with and capitalizing on "all things Mac" and many of its staff carried this love and use home with them.

Since then, I have been in love with "all things Apple" - being a staunch believer in and fan of the company as well as a user of everything that became ours.  My kids have certainly grown up with Apple products and I believe that over the years, our household has had at least one of almost every kind of Apple product available - Printers, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, Home Pod, Displays, Apple TVs (one of my favourite Apple Devices !), Airport Express, Airport Extreme, Time Capsule and an assortment of MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac computers. 

It's interesting.  I've gone from being almost the only one I knew that had an Apple product 30 years ago to current day where I would say that I only have TWO close people in my life that still choose not to use Apple products!  It is of course, a personal preference but from experience, I have seen that once you welcome one Apple product into your life, it is very easy to adapt to and make room for more - and that is what is supposed to happen - your Apple life should "just work".

Apart from being a HUGE and self-admitted Apple Fan, I am a very good teacher.  I love showing off the little tips and tricks that allow users to get more out of their Apple devices and computers - the things that you never have the time to sit down and figure out yourself.  The things you never realized that you could do.  On occasion, I have been accused of being overly enthusiastic - but since I want my clients to have fun on this journey, it's all about being enthused and amused!  My original tagline being "Teaching you "how and why" in a fun and friendly way!"  Currently "Learning is just the Beginning" really exemplifies my belief in the fact that your iOS and OS X devices are tools that can be harnessed to help you do anything you want to ... better.

I have been helping friends, family and "friends of friends"to solve their Apple problems for years.  I fell in to "Training" officially when as a customer at Creative Technology in Burlington, on a particularly busy day, I offered some assistance to the couple next to me, solving their problem and explaining "why".  After doing this a few times on subsequent visits, I was offered a job which I gladly took as my Saturday "fun" job.  I LOVED showing up on Saturdays, working with Apple Products and solving problems!  Over time, I ended up working additional weekdays at Creative Technology and eventually became the in-store Trainer, where I welcomed students of all ages and abilities.  I evolved from this experience to take on more and more of my own clients and "officially" start thinking of iTeachumac as a business.  I have been working part-time as a trainer/consultant for four years and for the last ten years, this has been my full-time gig. What better thing to be spending my time doing than to help others maximize their experience as they "push their own buttons"!

- Sandy Hall

 *Updated December 17, 2024