I am not tech savvy – how will I survive in a new age workplace?

Is technology a problem?  Do you think you are not computer savvy? In my many conversations with people above the age of 60, they confess that technology is a fear they have that restricts them from working with new age companies. Is it an ordeal you face too? Do you see it as a challenge? Is the fear real?

The technology fear

Most of you think that technology is confusing and difficult. You probably back away from anything related to it. You prefer the old ways of working and see yourself struggling with technology.

Just a click away

Today the youngsters are using technology to call a cab, order for food or even to date each other. Technology has made life easier and luxurious. Infact, most of you use technology to make calls, send messages or make video calls. These day to day uses of technologies make your life easy.  Yet, you fear working in this new era of technology “I don’t understand technology, how will I cope with work?” is your inner talk.

You are the most active senior generation

Studies show that you are the most active senior generation in history. You are defying aging and are still young to learn new skills, work, socialize and achieve a lot of other things. Not just that, you are a generation that adapts to new concepts and phenomena easily. You were the first generation to adapt to television when it first came out. Moreover, you have seen the technology change over the years. From a rotary dial phone to a smart phone, you have seen it all, experienced it and adapted to it well. So how different is the new technology?

Lets Skype?

The other day my friend cancelled our coffee plan because she had to Skype with her mother. Her mother stays in a small town in India, where one does not really expect senior people to use technology, but here she was – my friend’s mother using Skype to talk to her only daughter, to see her face and feel the happiness.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe you Skype too, with your son or daughter or use whatsapp to send forwards in your family group or log in to face book to stay connected with your old school and college friends. All these are technologies that you seamlessly use, then why worry about technology?  

A lot of you own a smart phone and have various apps on the phone, especially if you are from an urban area. Infact a lot of you may be indulging in online shopping, which means you are already using technology, so why see it as a nightmare and make it an obstacle that stops you from working in a company where technology may be used?

Technology in company

I know most of you will say,” I don’t know how to use technology related to a work set up”. This is not a grave issue. When a company decides to recruit you, they will do so to gain from your knowledge, wisdom and experience. In return, you will get to expand your knowledge in areas that are not your forte – like technology.  Working in a company will be an amazing way to learn about technology and what better way to learn than on the job.

The other day I came across a lady, a consultant who was 60 years young and was learning to use linked- in (a professional networking site) because her job required it. She had only heard about LinkedIn and was not aware of what it does, but because someone suggested that it will help her consulting work, she quickly put it in the implementation mode and started learning more about linked-in. Now she is well versed with the platform and is using it to her advantage.

Learning attitude

It’s not so much about what you know and don’t know. Success in workplace depends on whether you have a learning attitude. If you are eager to learn and understand new things, you will become a seasoned user if not an expert of technology within a few months.

The backpacker method

There are a lot of things we want to learn but don’t know how to start or where to start. We keep thinking about it for hours, days, months and years but end up doing nothing about it. To learn anything new is a herculean task that gives birth to fluttering butterflies in our stomach. So how do we go about it?

How do we learn a new skill, technique or technology? 

Use the backpacker method. A backpacker is a traveler who travels with their belongings in a rucksack. They want to explore new places, meet locals, and learn about culture, places and humans. But they can’t do it alone. To learn something, one has to interact with people who are experts in that particular subject.

We are going to use the ‘Backpacker method’ to learn any new skill – to learn technology.  This method will make your learning process easy and effective.

Back packer method – how will you use it to learn

Ask for help - Find an expert in the field and request the person to teach you. People are flattered when others think of them as experts and will be more than willing to help you.

Explore – Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. So understand all the techniques, concepts and strategies related to the subject, but explore things on your own

Implement things immediately - The ones who are successful are the ones who don’t just sit on knowledge but the ones who implement it immediately. Infact a study showed that the most successful people implement ideas or knowledge as soon as they understand it.

Ask for feedback - Feedback from others can help you grow and learn quickly. Ask for feedback continuously and improve yourself based on the feedback

Practice, practice, practice - There is no other alternative to this. When you learn a new technology or a skill, keep practicing till you become confident about it.

And then there is the master key of learning - The google.com. Type in a query, and get the answers within seconds (unless of course your machine is slow).

Technology is not a challenge

Technology will not be a challenge if you don’t resist it. Don’t complain about how the good old days used to be without technology. Change with the times and adapt technology with an open mind and (eyes of course).

Conclusion

As much as we complain about technology keeping us on a leash, it really does give us the freedom - Freedom to learn new things, freedom to be a new person and freedom to live a new life. Are you ready for your freedom? Are you ready for your new life?