Computers with No Tutors
I remember not too long ago when the thought of getting familiar
with the computer nauseated me. In high school computer concept was way out of
my comfort zone. Not because I really wanted to but because I was nudged into
it, I was given this wave of complexity that everyone around me was surfing.
Nobody sat down with me and went over the essentials, bare basics like how to
turn it on and off and back then dial up was the only way to connect. Setting
up with a provider and establishing an email, simple procedures now but to me
then a major ordeal. There were days I would just sit in front of the monitor and
keyboard and curse at technology because it was pushing me into a direction I really
didn’t want to go.
Just from having way
too much free time I began to putter around and explore. I did get flustered
and tried to give up and yes, there was a part of me that was totally amazed at
where I could go and what I could learn. Back then the most perplexing email
trick was attachments, it took me a while to get that down. What pulled me in
completely was that I could talk with people in other countries. It also opened
easy access for online scammers, I had to learn the hard way that not all people
were forth coming.
From the 90s to 2017
I have learned to do more than just email tricks. I consider myself to be
computer literate, I know more than some but less than what others expect to
make or break it in certain realms. Some of what I do know how to do I pulled
from other people, trial and error or from the internet itself. I went from a five-year-old
at the checkout lane kicking and screaming NO to not being able get through a
day without my smartphone or pc. I have ties to social media both personal and
business/marketing. Even though I have only tapped into an eighth of what I can
really do in creative areas through programs that seem too complex, I give
myself a pat on the back for knowing what I do and for accomplishing what I have
but I will always leave room for learning more.
When I reflect to
when I was stubborn resisting adaptation to an on -going learning process, I laugh
a little because I have cleared those hurdles and they seem so small to some of
the hurdles I now face. I am an older dog learning new tricks, stepping over
fear of failing and repetition and desire are keys to unlock possibilities. I may
not have been born with an I-pad/smartphone in my hand and all the basics being
taught that are now essentials to navigating both in business and in pleasure
are part of the curriculum in all schools from tots to graduates. I make no
apologies for not being as tech savvy as some want me to be but I will always
leave the door open for free advancements.