We live in a world dominated by technology — this website makes for excellent evidence. Tech is everywhere; it’s how we do work, how we play, how we communicate and more. That means if you aren’t so good at tech — if technology-related concepts and activities simply don’t come easily to you — you probably often feel confused and frustrated.
Unfortunately, tech websites like ours aren’t terribly welcoming to luddites and noobs like you. We use jargon you aren’t familiar with and talk about products that are way out of your ken. The truth is that tech doesn’t come naturally to most people; they either learn how to navigate technology when they are young or they struggle to keep up.
Fortunately, you don’t have to struggle in vain. Here are a few ways you can boost your tech capability, so you can feel part of the 21st century.
Sign up for Tech Support
To start, you should sign up for premium home tech support services from a trustworthy tech services provider. Services like these will guide you through common tech activities, such as assembling tech devices, installing software, managing digital security and more. Usually, these services will also include regular tune-ups of your devices, so you can enjoy properly functioning tech into the future.
Signing up for services like these is especially important if you don’t have anyone tech-savvy to come over and help you, or if you don’t like bothering your kids or neighbors with your tech-related questions and concerns. Professionals have experience guiding people like you through complex processes, which should help you gain confidence working with your tech.
Consider Your Tech Uses
Next, if you want to get better at using tech on your own — without relying on a knowledgeable professional — you need to set some personal goals. To do this, you should consider what you need and want from your tech. For example, if your job is beginning to require more tech savvy, you might focus on acquiring those specific skills, which often include familiarity with digital office software. Alternatively, if there are tech skills you covet, like digital photo editing or video production, you might concentrate on finding resources to build those abilities.
It’s a good idea to make a list of ways you use tech and a list of ways you want to use tech; then, prioritize that list, and come up with milestones to help you achieve your goals. For example, if your top priority is video editing, you might set milestones like learning one new technique in Adobe Premiere Pro or iMovie per week. You might also give yourself a deadline, perhaps to produce a 10-minute video in two-months’ time. Creating a plan like this will keep you accountable to your goals and ensure you develop the tech skills you require.
Read Tech Websites
Whenever you are diving into a new skill, it’s a good idea to submerge yourself fully in the world by reading articles, watching videos and chatting with experts and amateurs alike. Fortunately, the web is filled with tech enthusiasts, so it isn’t difficult to find resources to help you on your quest. We might be biased, but we think our blog is pretty useful to those interested in gaining tech knowledge — but we also encourage visiting more newbie-friendly tech sites like these:
Play With Tech
While it will take work to gain the tech skills you want and need, that doesn’t mean tech is always a confusing, boring grind. In fact, many tech tools are incredibly fun, and if you can find the fun in using tech, you’ll discover that you gain tech skills much faster because you’ll feel more motivated to interact with tech tools. You can look online for gamification of the tech skills you need, or you can gain general tech proficiency by playing complex games using your computer.
Focus on Tech Safety
Finally, as you begin to use tech more frequently for a greater diversity of activities, you need to know how to keep your devices safe. You should develop a sense of cyber hygiene, which means being aware of potentially dangerous websites or links, managing strong passwords and generally boasting habits that keep your tech secure. You should equip any internet-connected tools with security solutions, such as antivirus for computers and smartphones as well as network protection for any smart gadgets in your home. There are many layers of tech safety you can employ, and you can being to add more as you experiment with tech skills and gain more proficiency in the field.
Tech is a huge industry, and because it is so integral to modern life, it can be intimidating for tech beginners to dip their toes. However, if you push yourself to gain more tech skill, you will be rewarded with a whole new world of wonder and capability.