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LEARNING A NEW COMPUTER APPLICATION.

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30 replies

by roameri9

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1. I get convinced that I must learn HTML.
2. Then I get convinced that I must learn all the fancy extra stuff of WORD.
3. Then its EXCEL.
4. Then its XML.
........
Why???
Because these vendors keep convincing me that I will be a better guy.
I start well but get fed up and lose concentration.
Is this the problem with others ?
Is there a course/site/book/forum om " HOW NOT TO GIVE UP ????
j.

30 replies

by old guy

The course I had on how not to give up took about 18 years while growing up. That was the way my family lived. Stay the course and run the race. I think it's also called self discipline.

faradhi is also correct in always learning. You learn something (usually more) new every day or you're not trying. You can do it.

by stargazerr

with an attitude of getting fed up ... its not gonna work ...

Like Faradhi says ... IT is about constantly learning and updating your knowledge.

I would suggest that you choose somewhere to start and get cracking ...

]:)

by old guy

I know how you like to get folks cracking. I hope you're better today. I haven't crossed paths with you much lately.:)

by roameri9

Agree: ' with an attitude of getting fed up ... its not gonna work ... '
But that's why I want to learn 'how not to get fed up.' You are just restating the problem, not providing a solution.
What means ' get cracking ' ?
As for getting fired I own the b***** business and so I'm not vulnerable.
But still I wanna be a better guy. Though also an ' old guy '.
j.

by stargazerr

Well before I can start dishing out some advice ... tell me, are you fed up of all the different technologies out there or just fed up of having to learn all the time??

]:)

by ball5ball5

First step in analyzing a ?stick-to-it? issue is to seriously ask yourself the following:

It is something you LOVE doing?

You will not be able to stay focused on something that you dislike doing. A Fact of Life. This goes for your love life, relationships, and job- all of it. No one can stay committed to something that they do not enjoy doing. A simple test will bear this out:
1) Start a timer- egg timer, stopwatch- whatever is handy.
2) Stand against a wall, facing it.
3) Beat your forehead against said wall.
4) Concentrate.
5) Stay focused on the sound of bone-on-wall.
6) Reply here with your best time.

Sounds trite, I know, but it is one of the more simple universal truths to be found. If what you do and what you love aren?t at least in the same ballpark, you are doomed to mentally wander off toward that which attracts you the most. You see it all the time is lousy marriages.

The absolute best and most honest advice you can get is this: decide what you love then go make money doing it. In my late teens, I was far happier working at a $7/hr. gas station job then I was at my next job which paid me close to 10 times that amount.

by old guy

(don't tell anybody) but I just emailed a picture to M_A_R_K to send to Mae (because I don't want to get beat up by a woman) but I don't think he's going to send it. ]:)

by old guy

Stargazer you can send it. I have the link for it instead of an attachment. You're faster than we are.:)

by faradhi

Take my advice... I'm not using it.

I felt overwhelmed when I started IT and worried about keeping up. Ultimately, I was told that no one can keep up with all of the tech out there. I keep up with as much as I can.

Then when I leave work, I do something else. Shoot pool, exercise (rarely), wife, Watching the 4th ranked Memphis Tigers whoop up on the competition, etc. Occasionally, I will read about a new tech while not a work. But I enjoy life. If it gets too bad I take a sanity day.

In short, do your best, know that you cant know everything, and enjoy life. When all else fails, post something dumb your end users did here and let people remind you what IT is all about. :)

by old guy

Correct Southern translation for your sentence:
I'm a navy brat -n- gittin' mah larnin' everday bout do suthern way to talk...

(we don't know nuthin bout no vernacular here)

by m_a_r_k

starg, she won't beat you up. Maybe you're brave enough to send it. It's pretty gross.

by bschaettle

You wrote: "Because these vendors keep convincing me that I will be a better guy."

This is no reason to learn anything -- the only goal these vendors have is to make money. Only you can decide what you really need to know to run your business effectively and serve your customers.

The best way to "not give up" is to DO WHAT YOU LOVE. Find that niche and learn it well.

by roameri9

That's the problem:
I love Excel (A+)
I love PowerPoint (A+)
I love HTML (A)
I love Word (A+)
I love XML (A)
But my span of concentration has shrunk. Is it because of age or because of intolerance due to a saturation of satiety ?
I started young with servicing mechanical calculators and have gone through punched cards, paper tape, 1401, Data General all the stuff upto MS. Always deeply interested in learning the new stuff.
But now there is nothing really new and great like say Excel.
Do others feel the same ?
j.

by ball5ball5

As to your point about there being nothing new and great, I would strongly suggest that you step into a good beginner's Linux Distro. Free downloads of a complete OS, tons of new & usable stuff to learn in there. For starters, I would highly recommend the Mandriva flavor.

As to your point regarding your span of concentration having shrunk of late, I have experienced the same feeling over the last year or so. I am unsure of your age but looking at where you?ve been, I can venture a guess. Age has a lot to do with the ability to learn and retain new info. Get yourself some healthy things going- walk a lot, take the stairs, etc. and keep the gray matter flush with oxygen. If it?s affecting your ability to make a living, talk to your doc about getting some attention deficit meds (Adderal, etc.). And before you ask, yes- I?m serious. They exist for a reason and they work. Back in the day, we used to call those meds ?speed? and might have used them recreationally or to cram for exams, but they served the same purpose- they help maintain focus, energy and retention.

by old guy

your a chicken too, huh? Well you know birds of a feather flock together. Oh, well, it might have been worth the fireworks...

by ball5ball5

"I'm a navy brat and gettin my learn on everyday bout the southrn vernacular."

First thang you gotta do if'n yer gonna do that is to qwit usin' big words like "vernacular".

Now I gotta headache....

:>)

by billclewis2

is the question that will drive your need to learn something new. Ask yourself will abbreviating this task save me needless keystrokes or time?

If you do anything, as in Word, over and over, then that is the determinant for you to write a macro or look for a key-board shortcut. Examine yourself and how you work, doing something more than three times or so implies a need to look for a time-saving shortcut.

Always ask yourself, is there a better way? You must identify a need before you will be compelled to find a solution. If you can think of a better way, then there is a means of implementing it using VB script/macros/keyboard shortcuts.

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