Technology and the elder user
By CmesaMTG
@CmesaMTG (21)
United States
March 23, 2011 11:15am CST
As an IT professional I have worked in many different environments. I have worked in a sales driven environment and I have also worked in a church environment. Through the years I have made the observation that no matter how savvy the end user may be age plays a huge part on whether that person will embrace positive change of fight it every step of the way. When I worked in the Sales driven environment, I worked with a much younger crowd. I felt that when I worked there it was much easier for me to be myself. I was able to get a long better with my fellow associates not matter which department they worked in. The implementation of new technologies was not frowned upon. It was embraced. Granted that you had your share of associates that were worried about the install or migration or whatever have you, but you did not have much resistance. Especially if it was something that was going to make the data more secure or faster to access, or easier to maintain it's integrity. But at last all good things must come to an end. The company that I worked at that had so many perks that I could start a whole new discussion on that alone, went out of business, and so I was forced to go back out into the job market again. I now had to seek employment again. So out I went searching, with a wife that was 8 months preggers and no income I was willing to take whatever I could. So I ended up as a net admin at a religious non for profit organization. There the holidays are great, people are kind but they are also something else. Older, while I don't have anything against older folks I soon found myself like the new kid in school, in a school where you were a freshmen and everyone else was retired.
I then noted after time of working at this great organization, that if it is one thing that more mature peeps don't like, it is CHANGE. They will fear it like the black plague. They don't like change, newer technology, or needed procedures and policies which were put in place as a result of them complaining about policies and procedures not being in place.
I MISS THE CORPORATE WORLD but I AM GLAD TO STILL HAVE A JOB :)
Go figure, let me know what you all think.
Thanks in advance. C
3 responses
@azskull (90)
• Philippines
25 Mar 11
Yes its true yesterday my old neighbors husband ask me to lend him a hand because he buy a set of printer,when i was about to installed the printer he warn me not to used the cd installer because its only the usb cord that connect to the PC and you can already print..i almost laugh but thinking of what he would react and also he's old i just need to explain him everything for the printer to work..but unfortunately he don't believe in me after he tried to print documents and he didn't mind me that i was there i excuse myself and gone back home because I'm thinking he doesn't need my help anymore knowing that what he is doing is the right thing..but at nighttime his wife was there in our house asking for me,i hurriedly run at the back of our backyard and hide myself because i already lost my interest in helping her husband again..but I'm planing to ask my old neighbors wife if they would still need my help and i make sure her husband is not around..because i already feel embarrassed when i try to help him when he asked me..I'm doing this favor for her old wife and not for him.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
24 Mar 11
I was an avid user of Maya 7, a 3d software but when version 8, 8.5 and Live came out I was so hesitant to try them. They had pretty much the same user interface but you have to undergo a different work process. Change IS necessary but it's hard to learn new stuff provided you can do the things with your previous workflow, only harder. I understand how your colleagues felt. They might just think that they'll be overwhelmed again with a new system.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
24 Mar 11
I was an avid user of Maya 7, a 3d software but when version 8, 8.5 and Live came out I was so hesitant to try them. They had pretty much the same user interface but you have to undergo a different work process. Change IS necessary but it's hard to learn new stuff provided you can do the things with your previous workflow, only harder. I understand how your colleagues felt. They might just think that they'll be overwhelmed again with a new system.