Even Boomers can use Computers

As I have mentioned in another post, I am a baby boomer. I grew up before there were computers and cellphones.  As I started to write this post, I started thinking back to that time.

Long Distance Communication

I used to write letters to communicate with people in other places. I used aerogrammes, a light weight blue paper that folded into an envelope so that it would weigh less and cost less to send by air. Long distance phone calls were expensive so you didn’t do them often.

I moved from America to Israel after college, over 35 years ago. At that time, we had a designated time once a week for my parents to call me. I would wait in the office of the program I was on to get the call.

Computers

I remember when I was in college, my roommate learned engineering and had to write computer programs. She punched holes in cards and fed them into the computer, which was the size of a room and had less power than my cell phone has.
As an aside, there were not many female engineering students then. However, to my surprise, my daughter is now learning engineering and the women are still far outnumbered by the guys.

My brother learned computers and was in the first graduating class in computers at his university. Before that, computers was part of another department.  At that time, computers were only for people in science fields.

In the early 80’s I learned graphic art using paper, glue and paints. Within a few years after I took the course it was moved to the computer and today no one would think of learning graphics without a computer.  I actually did learn computer graphics around 10 years later. I learned on a Mac, since PC’s didn’t have the graphic capacity at the time.

My Introduction to Computers

Compared to many people my age, I started using computers early. I knew how to type. I learned in high school on a typewriter. So when my husband wanted to go get his doctorate and decided to write his dissertation on a computer, I used my typing skills to help him and learned how to use a computer.

From the beginning, I was amazed and fascinated by the possibilities the word processor had over a typewriter and decided to figure them out and use them. I learned how to make tables, do automatic page numbering, section numbering and even numbering points in a list.

Nowadays, these things seem normal and our children can’t image not having these options. For my generation they were a revolution.

If I did it, so can you

I started earlier than many people my generation. I was in my 30’s when I started to use a computer, 2 or 3 times older than the kids today. Many people my age say that they are too old to learn to use computers and aren’t technological. I feel that it is no harder than learning to drive a car.

Speaking of learning to drive a car, when I was almost 50, my daughter convinced me that we should buy a stick shift car. I had been driving since the age of 16 on an automatic car and didn’t think it would be that hard to learn. I took lessons and the first time I tried to drive on my own, it took me 3 green lights to get thru a traffic light because I keep stalling!! After a few months, I got the hang of it and was able to drive it. I still prefer an automatic, but now I can also drive a stick shift. So if I can do that, you can learn to use a computer, which is no more complicated and isn’t dangerous.

If you are also a baby boomer, you have done and learned many things in your life. You have seen a lot of changes in technology. Learning to use a computer is no more difficult that other things you have done.  Besides, I believe that whatever one person can so, anyone can.