Hello Instructor Community!
We are excited to launch the first episode of our Instructor Spotlight series. Every month, we will spotlight members of our community by giving them the opportunity to share their stories and their work. By highlighting instructors from around the world, we hope to bring you closer to your fellow instructors and feel inspired by their journeys. Let’s get to know our first featured member: Muslim Helalee.
Muslim is from Afghanistan and has been on Udemy for 2.5 years. He teaches Web Development and he is also part of our Welcome Committee group, helping to onboard new instructors to our community! Learn more about Muslim below:
What do you love the most about teaching?
What I love the most about teaching online is that I am constantly learning new skills and technologies to keep up with the latest trends. Also, teaching online gives me the flexibility that I need and want. I can teach any topic I want, how I want it and publish it any time I want.
What is the most important thing you've learned about creating online courses?
Creating online courses is not easy. This is probably the most important aspect of teaching online that I did not know about, I always thought that I could create a couple of courses and make a living out of them. But, I could not be more wrong. Creating online courses is more full-time that even full-time jobs. It is like having two full-time jobs.
Were there any challenges along the way?
Well, since I live in Afghanistan, I had to bear and overcome challenges that were not even considered in other countries. The biggest challenges that I am still dealing with are lack of a proper system to withdraw my revenue, lack of good and stable internet connection and electricity, fear of the Taliban knowing what I do and torturing me for it, fear of what the radical people of this country might think if they find out I teach online and God knows what they would do. Basically, all the challenges you can think of.
What accomplishments on Udemy are you really proud of?
The first course that I had published on the platform would be the biggest accomplishment of my entire life that I am really proud of. I never thought I would be able to create and record a course and publish it on the platform. I had no idea where to start creating a course. I could not even think about that before having some sort of a recording booth without noise and interruption, which in on itself is a very big achievement in Afghanistan.
What’s something you’re planning on doing in the next year?
I am planning on creating more and more courses. I feel like I need to target UFB with my courses. Because, having UFB in mind not only gives me another source of revenue, but also forces me to uphold the highest standards of course creation.
Is there a particular success story or learning experience that you would like to share with us?
During the past 2.5 years on Udemy has taught me a lot of new skills. I never thought that joining Udemy would impact my life this much. I am learning new skills almost every day. And it is not just about learning new skills, Udemy is so much more than that. I have to cultivate people skills into my work on a daily basis. It is easy to kind of not pay attention to the human factor in the learning process. But, I think it is the most important aspect of this entire experience. While I am creating courses, keeping the quality of content to the highest standards is not the only thing I need to keep in mind. I also have to consider how my students would be feeling when they finish the first section of the course. What they would need to hear before jumping into the next section and considering all these different aspects of the learning process is what I think makes Udemy eloquent and unique.
Do you have any questions for Muslim? Go ahead and ask him in the comments!
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