Most of my classes are job related so I generally focus on ensuring that students attain the skills level that employers expect them to perform. It's also important to ensure that this is actually what the student wants, so discussing this with the student is also very important. I am a Microsoft Certified System Engineer and I am also Linux Certified with over 15 years of experience in the field. Although system engineers set up Servers, build and troubleshoot different type of networks and computers often, being certified provides full recognition by the software company who's product we are setting up or by recognized certification companies, so it's easy to assume that everyone coming to my classes just want to become certified. Employees already in the field normally focus on getting certified to obtain promotion, but other reasons include learning a new job task. Graphic artist and gamer want to learn how to build the best computers, and musicians need computers with the most stable audio system available for their investment. Knowing what each student wants allow me to ensure they achieve their goal and make the class relevant to them and fun. I produce 3 dimensional art, video and music using my computer during my spare-time as my hobby. I also produce websites. This allows me to understand the need of most students and guide them in the right direction toward their goals. It also keeps my students focused. If I'm teaching a student who write songs about securing a business Server, they might be less interested and see it as boring classwork to get a job, but when I tell the same student that they need to secure their computer so hackers will not steal their copyright material while they surf the internet I normally get their full attention. My classes are fun because I try to ensure that students recognize how each topic relates to them whether they are a job seeker, employee, employer or hobbyist. If the topic is required and they probably will never use it, we'll also make fun of that.