Your Computer is a Tool – Learn to Use It

One of the interesting things I’ve discovered in doing computer and small network support for professionals and small businesses is that many professionals don’t really want to spend any time learning to use their computer. I don’t mean that they don’t want to become experts. Why should they? It’s a tool for them to get certain things done. But to learn some of the basics of how to get something from this tool they would still have to take time, and they don’t want to.

These people aren’t stupid. They learn to use other tools when they need to. But not so much the computer. I don’t think it’s a matter of money. In general, these people pay by the month, quarter, or year to have good support, but they waste considerable time getting assistance with tasks they really should learn themselves.

For example, simply knowing the difference between a file, a folder, and an application would be useful. You use your word processor to create a document, which many computer related materials will call a file, and you put that in a folder on your computer. (You could also learn that this folder is kept on a hard drive, and might be transferred to a cloud based drive or a USB drive to be transported elsewhere, but let’s not push things.)

An hour or so of training might save hours of support time down the road. So if your IT guy (or gal) tells you it would be a good idea to spend some time training, consider doing it. You’ll be helping yourself.