In 2003, I began a master's program in performance improvement and instructional design. On the first day of my human performance technology class, I introduced myself to classmates and discovered that I was the first police officer to have participated in the program. As an experienced law enforcement trainer, I was skilled in many areas. At the time, I worked for one of the most prominent weapon manufacturers in the world, where I had been tutored and groomed by some of the finest law enforcement and military trainers alive. But sitting in a classroom filled with project managers, engineers, teachers, and instructional designers, I admittedly felt a bit out of place. However, the program was life-altering for me, and I learned higher level approaches to training and development that I could transfer to my job.