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Name: likelystory
I have been attending a local technical school here for a few months now to learn computers and networking. I currently am taking a PC support class that was required before I get into networking. The the first several months of this are, they call it programing which I don't get, basically microsoft office. I understand the need to know this stuff once getting into the work place but good lord is it boring. My question is to all of you that have done this. How do you get past this without going nuts? Some days it seems all I do is work on learning how to type. I can't wait until I can actually physically work on a computer.
LikelyPractice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
In high school, we installed Doom on the computers.
In College, I just didn't go to the easy classes unless there was a test.
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Actually, I didn't learn how to work on a machine in school (PC's weren't even around when I was in tech-school and we didn't have many when I went back to college) . Probably the best thing I did was get an old IBM PC/XT from the scrap sale of the company I was working for back in '94 ($30, and that was about $35 too much). Brought it home and ripped it apart, trying to figure things out. Learned enough by upgrading it and several other machines to make some money over the years off of it. Then started working with them almost daily. Granted, not the "traditional-way", but a whole lot less boring than sitting in a class. You might want to find a junker to work on yourself while waiting for the class to get up to speed...
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I've been building them and fixing them for about 8 years now with just trial and error know how. Sold several on e-bay. After getting laid off as a sheetmetal mechanic after many years I decided I wanted something that I liked doing that didn't rely so much on punishing my back anymore. Unless I go into real business for myself, been there done that don't have the backround for this, that means working for someone that wants either a degree or at least a certificate. So off to school I went. Hardware is more or less easy at this point but I am real light in the software department so I do need the training. It's just this sitting and typing all night that kills me. Learning databases and spreadsheets just doesn't butter my bread ya know. lol They have let me sneak down to the labs off and on and I have a good rapour with the networking instructor. Just can't wait to get past this admin assistant stuff.
Likely
Practice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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I got stuck doing something like that in both 2 year diploma courses I've attended.
They didn't call it the same thing but it was basically an introduction to the M$ Office Suite.
After getting laid off as a sheetmetal mechanic after many years I decided I wanted something that I liked doing that didn't rely so much on punishing my back anymore.
You know likely, your story and mine are too similar.......lol.
I was a 2nd year apprentice sheetmetal worker (but I did have over 8000 hours in the trade, just never got to school more than the one time) when I went back to school for computers. I'd also done a few other things, but that was my favorite thing to do as it challenged me mentally more so than say, driving trucks or working in a slaughterhouse. Anyhow, there wasn't a lot of construction where I was living at the time and I was sick of killing my back too so............
Anyhow........I digress............if you have to do it, you have to.
It was worse for me during the second 2 year course because I could already type over 80 wpm easily and knew how to use all of the tools in the Office suite. What I used to do to combat boredome was bring a good novel along and read in class. The instructor only called me out on it once. I showed her how well I could type (kicked that Mavis's butt....lol) and that I knew the Office suite well enough to rarely have to pay attention.
I did learn a few things here and there that proved useful later, mostly in Exce, and I passed with a very nice mark.......lol But I had to put up with a month or more of that before getting into the real "meat" of the course.
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This reminds me of every student's outcry of "Why do I need to learn this stuff? I'll never use it!"
Then they get a job and say "D*mn, I should have paid more attention in that course."
I'm not sure what area of networking you are planning to get into, but don't be surprised if there are reports that need to be written, logs of IP addresses or other data that need to be kept, etc.
In the Office forum we occasionally get requests like:
"My system generates an IP address log that looks like this:
195.168.10.24
I need to strip off the last octet. Can I do that in Excel?"
or...
A manager might come up to you say "If you want to upgrade the router infrastructure, I'll need a proposal with costs for both equipment and manpower as well as project plan with time lines."
or
"There are going to be layoffs. I need a complete list of your tasks and how many hours you spend on each. I want to keep you around, so make it look professional."
Trust me. I was in hardware for many years and was able to advance to better jobs (and more pay) because of "this admin assistant stuff".
Change the way you look at it. Call it "developing your business acumen" and you might enjoy it more.
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DerbyDad03,
I do fully understand that dealing with "Office" especially is needed and in some ways it has been neat as to me it was all new more or less. I had put together spreadsheets at work before to layout costs and materials that sort of thing this helped me understand it could have been a lot easier had I learned this before then. I do enjoy learning almost anything and I do find myself thinking from time to time "Oh so that's how they do that" or "Gee I didn't know that".
It's just I try hard to follow the lesson plan, neat thing is the instructor is not always available to help everyone so I get to jump in and help, but it seem like to me that say I am working on a database as I follow through the lesson I have to save it and move on to another. In the next lesson I have to come back and do something else to it. I can't help but think this is counterproductive. And when I come back to it I don't really feel like I am learning anything just doing it again. I understand the idea of repetition doesn't mean it doesn't bore me to tears though.
Likely
Practice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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I'd still take Derby's response as good advice...better to tuff it out now than wish later.
Skip
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Oh believe me I do take and appreciate it. I am almost done with office suite gotta go buy another book soon. So it won't be that bad fo much longer. Few more weeks maybe.
LikelyPractice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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"After getting laid off as a sheetmetal mechanic after many years I decided I wanted something that I liked doing that didn't rely so much on punishing my back anymore"
I hear that! I was a member of local 71 for about 15 yrs. During a particularly long layoff, I took a non-union sheet metal job, the local found out & I was blackballed. I stuck with the non-union shop for a couple of years but in the meantime, I studied & took several civil service exams. I finally got hired by the state as a construction inspector, then got into the survey/CADD unit working with Total Station / GPS. I tore my achilles while monitoring ground movement at a local landslide site & was forced to take a desk job. By that time, my computer "expertise" was pretty well known so I was offered a position in automation. I'm now in charge of all laptops, toughbooks, cameras, etc used by field personnel & I've never had any formal computer training.
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Hey, I was wondering how things were going for you. Too bad the programming class is not what you expected. It's gotta be hard to concentrate when most of what they are covering could be solved by hitting the help button when you're out in the real world. Guess the upside is that you'll be much faster and better at doing the admin type of things than the person who has not had an in-depth look at those programs.
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re: doing the admin type of things
What type of admin things are you referring to?
Things done by a...
Network Administrator?
System Administrator?
Database Administrator?All of those administrators need more than a passing knowledge of office applications to perform their jobs.
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Radix-64,
Things aren't to bad just a little boring. I started Powerpoint tonight and then some jerk set off the fire alarm. Even though I am a bit bored I enjoy it because I can help some of the kids in the class that either are a little behind me or know absolutely nothing coming in. I guess really the worst part is that I spent so many years working with my hands, there was always a physical finished product when I was done and I took pride in that. Now sometimes I don't feel like I am accomplishing anything, but it's not that bad. I know once I get to the labs I'll be like a kid in a candy store.
DerbyDad03,
The three positions you mentioned I hold high. The admin position I was reffering to was the untrained girl from the secretary pool, eg, ME!
Likely
Practice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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"...the untrained girl from the secretary pool, eg, ME!"
@Likely
Why, you're the first girl former sheet metal mechanic that I've encountered in this forum...Unless 'Curt' is a gal's name, then you'd be the second.
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I should have added "Administrative Assistant" to my list of highly regarded occupations.
Yes, there are "untrained girls from the secretary pool" but there are also some very talented people of both genders in that pool.
Just wait until you go on a business trip and it's your Administrative Assistant who fills out the paperwork and gets every dime you spent back for you. I couldn't do my job without my Administrative Assistant, so you'll never hear me use the term in a derogatory manner.
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LOL - I'm all male...........all hirsute, balding 6'4", 215 lb's of me!
I did once meet a woman sheetmetal worker. Her and her husband were both journeymen and owned their own fabrication shop. They both did mostly benchword and as far as I know, never installed. But she knew her stuff and everything they ever made that I installed fit perfectly.
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"I know once I get to the labs I'll be like a kid in a candy store."
Perhaps you can use my situation to build on (no pun intended). As soon as I'm released from medical LOA I will be retiring from an air traffic control (Rapcon/Tracon (last 20+ in management) career that began in Vietnam (yeah, I'm an old fart). But my job pegged my interest in computers. Specifically, you can't stop & drop if a computer (or other equip.) fails. Therefore, redundant systems. So, I started working on my own stuff. If I ran into a problem, I'd pick a tech's brain at work. I ended up working on family and friends machines too.
My first Grandson was born handicapped. I set up a trust fund for him right away and was/am intent on financing it to the max. Although I won't go into funds distribution or performance of the fund(s) involved, I do use many direct and indirect methods to generate resources for trust contribution. This is the part I thought might work for you. I now work on 100-150 (don't really count) computers a year. That's debugs to new builds, upgrades and I don't charge any labor. I ask for donations to my Grandson's trust. If folks can't donate, they don't. Others may over pay. The point I'm trying to make is you can get a lot of opportunities/exposure by being the bottom feeder for a while. You can gain a broad experience base in a short time too.
As far as the education goes. Just do it!
It's the trees moving that makes the wind blow
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Sabbas,
That is sort of the path I have followed. I started by working on my own. A modem went bad in a warrentied machine I had. The idea of opening the case scared me as I had never looked inside before. I called to set up the warrenty work and found that the warrenty covered the part but not the shipping. The tech I talked to where I bought it told me blountly "Just replace it yourself it will save you a bundle". It was going to cost almost $100 for shipping. There was a staples less than a mile from the house so I went there looking for a modem. It cost me $31 after tax and took like 20 minutes to replace. Keep in mind I was still scared. While I was in there I more or less took inventory and did some serious cleaning. Next thing ya know my neighbors were asking for help. It didn't take long for me to figure out that not only do I love working on them but there is no back breaking labor involved. I don't know to date how many I have worked on. Some I got paid some I didn't never really cared. When I started fixing the bosses system it became apparent I needed training. At the time I was working 10-12 hours a day and making pretty good money so school was out of the question. When I got laid off as much as I like doing it I more or less looked at it as a hobby. Hobbies don't feed the kids so i avoided it for a long time. Finally I figured I might as well go to school I wasn't making money anyway.
I am leary of doing the business sort of thing ya know handing out cards and all that as a lot of what I have done has been trial and error. Also I had my own business as a sheetmetal mechanic before and it snowballed on me. I have trust issues when it comes to my money so that means I have to do the work and the books there just isn't that much time in a day. And the business was never ment to be in the first place. I never wanted it but I still got in way over my head.
LikelyPractice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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DerbyDad03,
I am not attempting to belittle any position. I liken myself to that person that just got hired that everyone knows is going to mess things up so I am given all the stuff to do that is of no importance. Admittedly "that admin stuff" may have been the wrong phrase to use. I know I am learning a lot by doing these things and I know it will serve me well later.
Likely
Practice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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Well I am done with the Office Suite and moving into the Cisco Academy. Things were moving a little faster tonight. :-)
LikelyPractice makes perfect but only if you practice perfectly!
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