Peter J. Schoenster wrote:
> I wonder how other companies handle this. Learning to drive a
> computer is much more than just how to turn it on and run a few
> programs. If it were my company I would do what someone else
> mentioned: give a new employee their computer in a box, software on
> diskettes or cd's and then let them put it all together.
More than we'd probably care to admit.
I like your approach. My dad got me a motorcycle for my 6th birthday
(grandpa welded training wheels onto it). It sat in the garage for a
long time due to one rule--no riding it until I could perform basic
maintenance. Been one of those rules your dad imposes that has carried
through life.
Yesterday I saw in the paper the annual announcement that ACT college
entrance scores were holding steady (having formerly worked there it
caught my eye). I found it interesting, though, that the focus of the
article was on the fact that less than 3% of the people taking the test
had signified they intended to pursue computers as a college major.
This was some kind of horrible thing, especially when we're allegedly so
short on techies in this country.
Was annoyed by two things. First, 99% of all computer jobs don't
require a CS degree and programming skills. They really don't require
much more in the way of brains than driving a car--it's just that the
complexities of a car are something you grow up fascinated with (and
hence by the time you drive one you have a good feel for a number of the
basics), and computers are viewed as foreign. The big skill needs we're
addressing aren't for programmers, it's for basic usage skills--and
that's were most users hit the proverbial wall. they just don't
differentiate between programming and using a computer--it's all one big
inaccessible mass to them.
Maybe it's time for some remedial programs that focus on the basics,
like double-clicking on an install icon, and teaching people the
difference between using a computer and being a mechanic. :P
Second, in looking at the tech people I work with, of the ten or so best
ones I know personally, only two have CS degrees. One of those doesn't
really count, as he's an OS designer and way, way above the type of
comparison we're engaged in here. Of the rest, there's three lawyers, a
theatre major, an graphic arts major, two english majors and two
communications majors. None of them have any serious amount of formal
computer training, and two never actually got out of college formally.
I'd push the "learn by doing" approach too. Certification in the form
of sweat is always the best form. The trick, though, seems to be
convincing people, or at least getting the conventional thought patterns
to address the fact, that computer science and computer use are not the
same thing, and you can expect people to be able to do just about
everything but design hardware or software without having to require a
CS degree on their resume, and that this "should" be about as expected
as being able to successfully drive your car to work in the morning.
B
____________________________________________________________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Join The Web Consultants Association : Register on our web site Now
Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants
If you lose the instructions All subscription/unsubscribing can be done
directly from our website for all our lists.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
