What's IT worth to you?
Posted by Anne Marsden on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 @ 02:42 PM
My boyfriend's approach to computers is a lot like Julia Robert's view of opera glasses in Pretty Woman...if he doesn't know how to work them, they must be broken.
This observation got me wondering - why are we willing to work hard to learn and master some things, while others we assume should work perfectly without any training or knowledge? Is it a genetic predisposition? Like how some people are naturally good with language or music while others can do math in their heads?
I'm constantly amazed at how many of us have this conflicted view of IT. On the one hand we tend to think of IT (and all things computer and network related) as this magical mystery tour full of goodies that are instantly accessible, easy to use, and require little or no continued investment. While on the other hand, when things go wrong (and things ALWAYS go wrong) we are surprised - and angry - that the problem occurred and there isn't an immediate and easy fix.
What is it about computers that have us constantly expecting them to be instant and easy to use? The computer is probably the single most important machine in most of our lives - for work, communicating with friends, or managing our personal and financial affairs. There is no other single device that holds such power over us - or for us. And when combined with the network that connects us to our other devices and the rest of the world, it becomes both an awesome tool and a friend.
So you would think we'd expect to invest a bit of time to learn more, or more money to have others keep this precious tool safe, secure, and working optimally. Consider other precious tools you own, such as your car. When was the last time you worked on your own car? Sure, you might change the oil or air filters, but for everything else you take it in for regular service and leave it to a knowledgeable, trained professional to keep it - and you - safe, secure, and working optimally.
And each time my boyfriend throws his hands up and complains, "The computer's broken!" I simply tell him, "No, it's probably not broken, but you do need to call DataCentric!"