It’s the start of the new
academic year.
It's a time for change.
September is the month when lots of teenagers in the UK move on, leaving
home for college or gap years or other adventures.
The growing-up may have
felt, at times, like very long years, so rejoice now that change has arrived at
last
Rejoice, for a moment, in what you’re
losing. All those late arrivals and
sudden slam-door exits, the too-much too-loud music or grunts-plus-earphones;
the washing machine full of dirty clothes; the presence of unknown bodies sleeping
on living room floors and sofas; the big screens and small screens constantly flickering
with fascinating stuff, and more.
Aha! Soon you’ll be nostalgic for bathrooms stacked with more
grooming products than can be daubed on one person in a lifetime, Even so, it will also feel very
good to reclaim some of the space that you knew was once there.
However, before it’s too
late, be aware of what you will be losing too. Especially if you’re a freelance loner working from home. The person who is probably
your most valuable technical resource is leaving. Not only will all that precious
and vital energy disappear - and no, I'm not joking! - but so will all their random knowledge, skills and
fluency with all things technical. 
From the moment that door closes, you will
be relying on your own knowledge - and how does that stand up right now, all by
itself?
I have no
precious teen tech around right now. I have no handy geek or wizard who can help me with the latest social
media trends, no person who can explain how to do the things I want to do, or the thing I don't know I should know about.
I don’t sit there
bleating (even if this post may seem so.)But, but, but . . . so often I find a gap where an essential bit of information should be.
Yes, the screen can
show me “this” but what about the “that” that goes with it? The missing link
that takes such hours to discover, the reason behind x or y? I 'd really like to borrow a socialised techno-wise human being for a week or three, please. Aaagh!
Maybe you are lucky? Maybe
you are young yourself or you work outside home and have easy access, not only to training but to the casual wisdom of facts being passed on and gadgets explained.
If not, be warned.
If you work
at your writing at home, alone, from now on you’ll be battling with new media and new work
at the same time, and there's not many hours to go round.
Be nice to your
nerds while you’ve got them. Today is the first of September. You’ve got about two
weeks to download all they know.
Penny Dolan
5 comments:
I never had a family IT expert - but my daughter married one - so thoughtful of her!
"If your internet connection is down, you can find assistance at our website at www.pointlesswasteoftime. co.uk"
Congratulations on having a sensible daughter and hope they live near. IT can take such hours and it's horrid to waste rare family hours staring at a screen - especially when that's what such people do for work too.
I must add that I live with an IT expert - who is totally brilliant at keeping computers going and makings sure that all work is backed up safely and all the "machine" side of things. Hooray! However, all the social aspects of technology just doesn't interest him.
Hi Nick! Well, what's wrong with that suggestion? :-) Customer dis-service!
When they come back, they will be so much more tractable. But in the meantime, don't expect that dirty laundry to have gone away. It may be more infrequent, but the batch sizes are just larger.
If anyone needs any truly technical assistance, then I accept payment in author-type inducements -- seeing my name in print etc. ;-) On the other hand, if it's a social network type of question, I am probably more in the dark than you are.
Social media Qs, ask away.
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