In my undergraduate degree program I was required to take both Computer End-User Technologies & Network Administration courses which seems very similar to this course so far. You could then probably make the assumption that this course is going to be easy for me...but that couldn't be further from the truth. In the first class meeting I had the same flood of thoughts & emotions as when I was taking the two computer class at UW-W in my undergrad; I felt like I was sitting in an advanced foreign language class the entire time. While I've at least heard of some of the terms that were being used, I don't remember what they are/mean. I guess this type of knowledge (computer "stuff") is kind of similar to a foreign language - if you don't use it, you lose it...and it appears that I've lost most of it. So here's a cheers to hopefully make it still the 3rd time around...
With that said, I don't know much about the hardware of a computer or how it works. I am so blessed to have a wonderful network administrator right in my building who is a good friend of mine. When something goes wrong with a computer or printer that can't be solved by checking the cord connections or restarting the computer, I usually just give him a call & within a few hours my problem has been solved. I LOVE using technology and can get my way through minor issues but can't (and frankly don't want to) do anything more than that. I know, I know...I should be more open to learning how things work so I can fix it on my own but I guess it just isn't my passion so I am reluctant to do so.
Sooo...what do I want to know? That's kind of a funny question... :) My completely truthful answer to that question is "not a whole lot more than what I know now" but I'm really, really trying to change that thought process & be more open-minded about learning this stuff. I will make this promise - I promise to try to be more willing to learn about how the computer works. I know it will help me be able to troubleshoot more on my own which would be a great thing. I promise...I'll try!
I can relate, except from the opposite position. I want to learn more about the hardware and would love to have specific classes about some of the software I am muddling my way through. I'm kinda like the friend you call when you need help for all of my family. Even so, I have many friends who are way more savvy than I whom I turn to when I get stuck. I look at what they can do and wonder why I never geeked out in high school or college. I know a lot of programmers and IT people I went to school with. That's kinda why I decided to get my masters in technology. I love it and want to know more!
ReplyDeleteAdvance foriegn language...I really like this discription for this past assignment on rebooting my computers. As I was conducting my reboot processes trying to identify the RAM, BIOS, and GB/MB...what is all this. I heard the terminology before but never knew exactly what it did. Well I must say I learned a lot this evening and now I can moderately understand a technical conversation...lol!
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