Ok,..maybe you won’t end up as geeky as me, but you can have some new tech skills. 🙂
If you have read anything about me, you know that I caught the tech bug very early on. I have quite a few friends that are the same way. We knew even as kids that we were all about computers. But, not everyone comes out of the womb with gadgets in their hand. Since technology now affects all aspects of our life, many people are wanting to catch the tech bug later in life, learn some new skills, or even change careers and work in IT.
Feeling like you are being left behind with your IT and tech knowledge? You shouldn’t let this get you down! In fact, there are lots of ways you can easily give your tech skills and knowledge a boost. Here are some of the best ways that you can learn a few things to get ahead in today’s technology focused world.
Read Tech Blogs Like This One
If you are looking to learn and brush up on some tech skills, tech blogs are a good place to start. One of the first things I do when I’m looking to learn how to do something tech related is Google it. Usually, the answer is found on a tech blog. There are many tech blogs out there that post awesome tutorials, and videos on how to do just about everything. Reading tech blogs is also a great way to keep up on all of the latest trends and news. Tech is continually changing and developing. By staying on top of all the latest updates, you will be giving yourself a clear advantage in the tech world.
Practice Makes Perfect
Most of what I know, I have taught myself over the years. Years of reading, testing, and tearing apart computers, taught me what I needed to know to diagnose, upgrade, repair, and even build PCs. The best thing to do when you want to learn something tech related is to jump right in. In my opinion, there is no better other way to learn than hands-on. Sure, you can read all about how to build a computer, but until you get all of the parts, and start assembling, you won’t really know. The same goes for learning a new phone or tablet, building a website, or backing up and reinstalling Windows. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will be with the process. Whatever it is that you are wanting to learn, take a little time each day to practice. You will find that you quickly become accustomed to doing whatever it is. So even if you are finding it difficult to get your head around your new device, keep on at it. You’ll get the hang of it soon!
Take A Course
Now of course being self-taught is one way to go. And it is certainly a way to keep up your skills. However, if you are actually looking to get into the IT field, having a certificate or degree behind that will help. Think about enrolling in an IT or tech course. You can find a variety of classes that teach everything from the basics of using computers and tablet devices, building website with HTML, becoming a SharePoint, or just about anything else. If you can think of an aspect of IT or tech, there will certainly be a course that covers it! And these days, you can find a lot of courses online. This allows you to take them when you can, and possibly not even have to visit a classroom. Online classes are useful for those who work full-time and don’t have much spare time to go to a night school. There is more information on online courses detailed here at Simplilearn.
Follow a Geek
Do you have some friends that know tech? You may get lucky and get one to take you under their wing and teach you the robes. Remember that time is valuable, and sometimes IT folks can get very busy. You may be able to help out on jobs to learn, or barter for their time with a skill that you can do.
Build Your Own Website
Think you know the basics of web design and the Internet? Well, why not put this to the test by building and designing your own website?! I totally recommend learning HTML, learning to build and use WordPress, and learning a bit of PHP. However, when first starting out, just to get a feel for what goes on in making a site, signing up with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) service like Squarespace can help. The Developer Platform in Squarespace allows you to build your own templates and edit the HTML. You can then see exactly how the coding translates to the look of the site. This is a great way to learn. Once you start your website, you will also give yourself a reason to continue to increase your skills. That’s because your site will need regularly updating and cleaning up so that it always looks its best!
I actually first built this site because I was teaching myself to build. I tried everything. I started with HTML, I used Frontpage, Dreamweaver, Moveable Type, and even Drupal! I settled on using WordPress after playing around and learning a bit about it. And even now, years later there is still more to learn.
Now I do understand that some people just don’t take well to technology. However, if you stick with even just one thing long enough, you can make yourself better at it. In this day and age, there is no reason why your tech knowledge should be left behind in the dark ages.
Now off you go, go learn something technical!
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