Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Technically, I'm an idiot.

I'm not exactly technologically savvy. Alright, so actually that is an understatement. You could probably say that I am technically....challenged. Heck, I only started texting about a year ago! When it comes to gizmos and gadgets, it is a little like my brain shuts off. Often times if I am having a computer or phone related problem, I cannot even find the right words to describe my difficulty. A conversation with the help desk may sound something like this:


"My email isn't working. I keep losing my connection to the VPN. My wireless seems to be okay, I think, the little computer at the bottom with the waves coming out of it says my connection is "very good." But I keep getting an error message. I forget what it says. I tried plugging my computer into the modem thingy but that doesn't help. What version of Windows am I running? Huh? I don't know. How would I know that? I have a Dell. I don't have a Mac, does that help?"

At this point there is usually a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone.


What? I can't help it. I didn't go to school for this stuff, it's boring, complicated and doesn't fit in my brain the right way. I admit it. I just want someone else to do this tech stuff for me. Baby me. I don't want to be a big girl and figure it out myself. IT guy- you can figure out my email problem in thirty seconds, whereas it will take me an hour and a lot of frustration to follow your trouble shooting bullet points. I'll start sweating. Then I'll end up calling you anyway.



Yet, the help desk continues to think I should be able to do this stuff independently with a little Q&A sheet.




I guess they just don't know who they're dealing with.

7 comments:

  1. Here I was, thinking you were all techno-savvy… blog, iPhone, group emailing, online moms group creation … you seem to have it all down pat :) I, on the other hand, started texting in September, around when I started my blog, and I am forever forgetting to hit 'reply all'. Forget about when anything goes wrong! Right there with ya ;-) baby me!

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  2. I have experienced the heavy sigh at the other end of the phone. That and the "c'mon lady get with it" tone that accompanies it. Why do they get so upset???

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  3. Look at it this way - you're saving jobs! If everyone could figure the techie stuff out on their own, the big companies would lay off their help desk staff. You're boosting the economy!

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  4. Aren't you a Generation X? If so, then it's OK. =)

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  5. I had to renew my social worker's license on-line by myself since my former employer will no longer do that for me. I couldn't get into the system so I called the licensing bureau in Madison and got "Thor" on the line. He sounded like he was 15. I had to call him back 4 times before I got it right. I jokingly asked him if I was the most stupid person he spoke to that day and he answered "yes". He also wanted to know why I wanted by license renewed since I was retiring. Ah, kids! Told him that perhaps I might want to leave the nursing home from time to time and provide therapy to some poor, unsuspecting individual. Go, Thor!

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  6. Oh, I am the same way. But my kids can pick up a gadget and have it figured out in 2 minutes. Scary!

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  7. hehehehe...sounds just like a convo I would have. except ad more "thingies" the cord thingy that plugs into that black thingy. lol

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