Rich Garner

I came to a very humbling realization recently: I don’t know as much as I used to. Yes, I’m getting old and yes, I might be suffering from a mild case of “where-the-heck-is-this-train-going-itis,” but it’s still a difficult concept to fully accept. I am no longer the go-to-guy for everything computers.

You must understand, I LIVE computers. That doesn’t mean I always LIKE computers. It just means that ever since I hooked up my first PC back in 1984, I’ve had either my hands or head on computers. When I was fresh out of high school and still living at home, I had phone cables hanging from the ceiling connecting my pristine 486 upto the CompuServe telnet boards… BEFORE the first web browser was ever written.

Over the years, I never stopped learning about computers; college, books, magazines, friends. I even taught myself Flash 5 because when it was released, NO ONE knew anything about it. There’s a certain pride that comes with more than 2 decades of accumulated computer knowledge. I was never arrogant or deluded. I just recognized the fact that I understood something most people didn’t even know existed.

But the computer is one of those few industries in which the knowledge available to learn grows exponentially faster than the knowledge you possess.

So, if you THINK you know computers, or if you are well aware of your computer limitations, there’s always three reasons to learn more now:

Computer skills are essential in any career

In today’s business world, you would be hard pressed to find a career or industry that doesn’t depend on computer skills in some small way. Cab drivers now use GPS gadgets to download the latest maps, cooks must regularly read the latest blogs and recipes from the their idols, and cashiers have traded in their registers for sleek Windows-powered terminals.

The fact is that knowing more about HTML, wireless routers, installing memory and secure transactions helps you in just about any business you venture into. Even if your job title has  nothing to do with MS Office, your boss may just give you a raise when you turn out to be the ONLY pencil pusher who could fix his Excel spreadsheet.

Socializing with family and friends is getting more high-tech

Long gone are the days of spending hours on the phone catching up with Uncle Joe in California or Cousin Joey in Nashville. Today, you can be the cornerstone of gossip on all of your shady relatives by spending about an hour a day on your computer. While most people you know are either ON Facebook or know OF it, very few have the advanced understanding to use Facebook to generate additional income, pressure their congressman, or help their children rise to fame in local events.

Social media is changing fast and only the users who know the how and why of the evolving trends will have a chance of keeping pace. Take phones. First we had beepers. Then phones that gave you a back condition. Then phones that could take pictures, play music and get stock quotes. Then GPS and web browsers. Now, everyone has a phone that can do almost everything an old computer can do. But how many of your friends know how to pull up statistics on their phone that tells them how many people Googled their name from another country?

Reducing the need for computer specialists saves you time and money

Probably my all-time favorite reason. Have you ever had a computer problem… crap website, evil virus, broken hard drive… and found yourself forking over more money than you wanted to? Now ask yourself this: When was the last time you paid someone to pump your gas at the Wawa? Or sew a button back onto your jacket? Or programmed your alarm clock?

Knowing how to reload your operating system or debug your printer that likes to spit out everything in French, will save you time and money. For example: GeekSquad charges $100 to backup your data to an external drive that YOU OWN. A process that I can show you how to do in less than 10 minutes…FOR FREE.

10 minutes versus $100. It’s your time and money, I’m just helping you save them both. Learning more computer skills will also help you evaluate tech support. Knowing the time required for a virus removal will tell you if the geeks behind the counter are trying to cheat you by charging $200 for a $50 job.

So here’s the plug: While I CAN teach you plenty of computer skills, I can ONLY teach you what you ASK for. I’m putting together a class for website owners, but I’ll be happy to throw a class together for common computer questions. So let me know. What do you want to know that people aren’t telling you?