The company I work for bought a co-worker a new notebook with internet access about a year ago. This co-worker, who I will refer to as Tom (since that’s his name), must be the LEAST computer-inclined person who ever lived. You could bring someone from the Middle Ages to the present day and teach him more about computers in ten minutes than Tom has learned in a year.
This man does not understand the ridiculously simple Windows directory structure. He doesn’t know what a link is. Or a SEARCH ENGINE! The concept of a SCROLL BAR is above his head!
So where do I come in? Well, I have been designated HELP DESK BOY, since I’m the only one in the office with the least bit of computer knowledge. Every 15 minutes I’m called away from my work because his computer froze up and he forgot the hideously complicated key combination called ctrl-alt-del!
When it comes to matters other than computers, he doesn’t really seem all that dumb. But you put him in front of that laptop and his IQ immediately drops by 50 points. One minute he’s on the phone telling the customers everything they want to hear, the next minute, he’s drooling on the keyboard!
I didn’t get my first computer until I was a senior in high school, yet I had no trouble figuring out how to use Windows, how to get on the internet, etc, etc, etc. This man is baffled by a dialog box. What gives? Are (most) older people just somehow not cut out for the digital world?
Whatever the case, I’d like to ask any person who is having computer troubles to try for 15 minutes, at the bare minimum, to fix the problem yourself before calling some kid like me over. Who knows? You may even learn something.
“If I ever meet you, I’ll cntrl-alt-delete you!”
–Weird Al
As an over 40 newbie, still baffled by a lot about computers, I can appreciate how frustrating it must be for someone to help me. But sometimes I stop myself just bashing around trying to fix things because I almost always make it work. People like this, need encouragement, gentle childlike coaching to help them problemsolve.
That said, hey, I can work a scroll bar/dialog box, and I will look around before calling for help and I always apologize profusely for bothing my tech headed friends, but I’d be lost without them.
Of course mine is not a work environment, purely entertainment.
This has nothing to do with age. Granted, maybe an 80 year old with limited short term memory would have trouble with a computer, but really - this is not an age issue.
It’s an issue of this guy being resistant to change.
I am in my 30s, got a PC two years ago. In two months I had my own home page up, having learned basic HTML and figuring out how to use an FTP program. In six months I had bought a domain name and really had my own home page! Does this make me an expert? No, but I am not drooling over the keyboard, forgetting how to type alt-cntl-del either. And I was not exactly a youngster when I got into computers for the first time.
My sister (legally blind sister) got her first computer when she was over 40. She still gets clueless over many things (I want to scream sometimes) but she tools around the internet, boots up the computer, writes email and basically functions just fine on the computer most days.
There is no excuse for your co-worker being so utterly useless with the computer, in my opinion. Either he has a serious emotional block against it, or he just doesn’t want to learn hard enough.
Before you go using a broad brush, recall computers were invented by people now over 40. The subsequent developments in the technology were made by some old dudes as well. The problem is that they have only recently come into common usage.
Keep this in mind on your 40th birthday. While you are happily pounding on your keyboard, some young punk will be behind you snikering about how granpaw refuses to just get the neural implant.
Sure, the people who built the machines are now over 40. They weren’t then.
IMO one of the biggest issues is immersion.
I grew up speaking English. Spanish is more difficult for me to learn than if I had grown up hearing and being immersed in Spanish.
I got my first computer in 1979. I’ve used them ever since. I’m USED to them, since I’ve seen the technology develop. Ditto for most everyone my age and under–we’ve grown up with video games and buttons and screens and files.
Computers are more likely our first language. Many older folks are being dumped in Marrakech and told, “Learn Moroccan Arabic.” And when they do, more often than not it’s parroting commands (in this situation, press this button).
One of my dearest friends is 38, one of the smartest people I know. After two years I’ve managed to show her how to download an email attachment.
She’s not stupid, she just has a block against it.
And don’t get me started on menopausal librarians in a technical library. These are the people who are SUPPOSED to know how to use the damn machines . . .
My 66 year old mother uses a computer just fine, thank you - she even went down to her church and updated the system for making the Sunday bulliten, which she now maintains.
I myself and +40 and have absolutely no problems with computers and their accessories.
Your friend has just invoked a classic out of the mans handbook: if I do it right they will make me do it again. As long as you keep jumping, he will keep asking - I would suggest making him wait next time, since you do have your own job.
I think Andros made a good point, it is really hard to learn something completely new once you get to a certain age. Plus, I think that when the 40+ crowd was growing up computers really were hard to operate, and they’ve probably still got it in their heads that it is too hard for them.
Now, what really bugs me are those old computer experts (are you listening dad?) that are constantly bitching about how easy computers are these days and how all of us young people are spoiled. You know, how when they were our age they had to walk 10 miles in the snow to pay $800 for a lousy kilobyte of memory, and they had to use two tin cans and a wire for a modem.
I used to get stuck with this job too! Very frustrating. What I found is that people know they can call on you to fix things, so they never bother to pay attention to learn them. What worked for me is to take the time to write down the answers to simple things and then make them read it before they came to me.
Well, yes and no. Yes, it’s easier to learn a language (or musical instrument, or whatever) when you are young. But you can do it, no matter what your age. It is a matter of wanting to and being motivated to. I am living proof of that, as is my sister, my mother, (who learned how to drive and how to throw pottery on the potter’s wheel at age 65.)
Dammit, I am no youngster, and while I would not consider myself an expert, I get around fine with my first computer. I actually have a Mac now too, because I wanted to learn about it as well. (Yes, I am a big geek and making up for lost time!) I had almost zero tech support when I got my first PC. All my computer geek friends are in another state - I had no one local to call and whine to and “fix” everything. I learned how to operate my computer, old, ancient me. And I started learning in my 30s. My 40-something sister is functioning fine with her first computer (though she does call and whine to me sometimes) and she was completely computer illiterate before she got it. By the way, this same sister learned how to play the piano when she was in her 30s. Because she wanted to.
This computer-useless coworker is highly motivated NOT to learn. That’s my best guess. Or, they have an emotional block of some kind.
I, too, am the resident computer expert at my place of employment. Some of the interesting revelations I learned about what adults didn’t know:
Woman who works out of the office cannot do an e-mail attachment. She gets mad when you try and explain itt to her and she says she’ll just fax it. I suggest carrier pigeon instead, cine by the time it’s typed in so we all can use it, they might have cloned one a carrier pigeon from DNA and bring it back.
Guy in office doesn’t know how to use Word. But he makes Excel spreadsheets. Obviously not with any functions on them, but still… It’s friggin’ WORD! For him, I tortured him by switching the mouse buttons from right-handed to left when he was away. I had to go fix it while he was trying to explain to our IST help desk what was wrong.
Guys computer is going really slow, and he asks me to look at it. The problem - his hard drive, when looking at properties, has the tiniest sliver of available space. I tell him ghe has to delete some stuff to make it work better. He asks me both what he should delete (I refrained from telling him he didn’t really need that Windows folder) and HOW to delete stuff. The latter explains a lot, really.
Guy ask what a .zip file is. I tell him he needs an unzipper, and he can get WinZip at download.com. He goes there and after the paage loads, wonders why the file still won’t open. I finally went through it step-by-step and broke his downloading cherry.
Frankly, I only know enough to be dangerous, and me having this much power there frightens me. But I get used to helping out… It’s certainly good for shits and giggles, and I have no problem telling anyone in my company that I’m busy now but will get back to them later.
I have a couple of pieces of advice for you help desk types.
Learn to use English (or the common language) NOT technobabble. Don’t use abbreviations without explaining what they are.
It is not always necessary or desirable to know how something works in order to use it. I can drive a car just fine, even if I HAVE forgotten most of what I learned about the internal combustion engine.
Don’t assume knowledge. If someone doesn’t know what a zipped file is, quite probably s/he doesn’t know what an unzipper is, nor how to get and install one.
Show, don’t tell. SHOW the person what the scroll bar is!
Ok, that’s a couple more than a couple…more later as I think of them.
Keep in mind that it must be some kind of Murphy’s Law that if someone can figure out computers, they then can’t communicate that information effectively.
Remember, these are the people who majored in Computer Science because What would you do with an English degree?
Something I’ve also found helpful is to sit next to them and let them do it. Don’t do it for them. Tell them what to click, give them a couple of seconds to try to find it themselves, then point to the screen if you have to. Praise them in a genuine tone of voice for doing the right thing. I sound like being a kindergarten teacher and it’s tedious as Hell, but my co-workers actually learn if I do it that way.
I used to have a co-worker who had never used a mouse before. This was two years ago. When the government upgraded to Windows 95, they took solitaire and minesweeper off of their version. Those games are great for learning to use a mouse. I had to send him a copy from home, open the mail, install it…
::sigh::
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.
I can’t figure out how this happened to me, too. People in this office act like Imthecomputergodmoo, you know? I only know enough about computers/software to get the job done - not necessarily elegantly, but clean and on time. (And you know, they all have Help programs…). Of course, Word is what I use most but I’ve never received any sort of Word training of any kind. I just used it till I learned the basics, then added shortcuts as I figured them out on my own. But cutting and pasting seems to be an enormous mystery to folks around here. Or, “How do I customize my toolbar?” “You mean I can change the font AND the font size!?” “How do I send email to someone who isn’t a city employee?” :::whimper:::
StoryTyler Distinguished Big-Hootered Assistant to Criminally Insane Doctor,
Self-Righteous Clique
“Not everybody does it, but everybody should.”
My beautiful, intelligent 63 year old mother has had a computer for about 5 years now, and still has a lot of trouble with anything beyond the most basic functions. She e-mails fine (with attachments), scans, explores the internet, etc. But she calls me often for things like, “I have this document on my hard drive, but I want to put it on a disk. How do I do that?”. She also has me install most of her software for her, because when she gets any kind of message like, “Do you want us to overwrite the existing file” she doesn’t know what to do.
But, bless her heart, she’s learning (albeit slowly). I don’t mind helping her and always try to put my patience hat on because I think it’s great that she always tries to keep current. It takes her much longer to learn things than it takes my more spry friends, but she’s a champ in my book.
“I should not take bribes and Minister Bal Bahadur KC should not do so either. But if clerks take a bribe of Rs 50-60 after a hard day’s work, it is not an issue.” ----Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Current Prime Minister of Nepal
When I’ve tried to help older people use the PC I see two things -
The first is a fear of hurting it. They are really afraid to press all the buttons and make mistakes and trial and error frightens them.
The second is they are looking at the screen as if they had to grasp the entire screen every time it changes so they really take a long time to get one button pushed.
Both of these things need time and practice so don’t give up. If you have already told them before a couple of times you might give hints this time before you get up to help.
Oh, I’m gonna keep using these #%@&* codes 'til I get 'em right.
I only know enough about computers/software to get the job done - not necessarily elegantly, but clean and on time. (And you know, they all have Help programs…). Of course, Word is what I use most but I’ve never received any sort of Word training of any kind. I just used it till I learned the basics, then added shortcuts as I figured them out on my own. But cutting and pasting seems to be an enormous mystery to folks around here. Or, “How do I customize my toolbar?” “You mean I can change the font AND the font size!?” “How do I send email to someone who isn’t a city employee?” :::whimper:::