Do You Have a Bad Computer Attitude?
In 1995 I went to work for a temp agency with a few basic computer and word processing skills.
My objective at the time was to take a temporary job doing data entry while I looked for corporate sales job.
At the time I had just left my job a a PE teacher.
I held a teaching degree and spent several unsatisfying years as a public school teacher. However, the teaching profession and my dad introduced me to the PC.
I was first introduced to the personal computer by my dad who gave me a Commodore VIC 20 for my birthday in 1983.
Around the same time I was given an apple computer to use in my classroom with some software to keep track of student grades, create tests and allow students to play educational games.
The basic computer and word processing that I learned helped me get an assignment with the temp agency at a large data publishing company in Denver, Colorado.
When I was teaching I was like most people then and many people today…
If the software froze up, the floppy drive wouldn’t work or the computer would not start…
I just cursed the miserable thing and asked my boss, the principal, to get the thing repaired.
Then several weeks later some overworked technician from the school district would show up and push the power cord in tighter at the back of the computer and stomp out with a few curses words under his breath and aggravated expression on his face.
So because of my I don’t know anything about computers attitude…
I sat there with no computer for a month and all it needed was the power cord pushed into the back of the computer.
Something I could have fixed myself if I hadn’t had such a negative attitude.
How many times have I heard that phrase in my career as a computer support technician?
Many more times than I can count.
And of course, just like the school district computer geek that would come to my classroom, I am now the one to walk a way uttering a few choice curse words under my breath.
I worked on a corporate held desk for many years and I can tell you that simple common computers problems like loose power cords account for the vast majority of help desk calls.
And the vast majority of customer service calls I make as an independent computer consultant are also for simple common computer problems.
If you run a business you need to understand that changing I don’t know anything about computers attitude is essential for saving time and money and reducing productivity losses.
You must change this attitude for yourself and your employees to get the Time=Money equation to add up dollars saved on your bottom line.