To be surprised a woman in her 30s can't use a computer?

[ZenGardener]

I'm on the PTA at DS's pre-school. A woman was asked to be secretary so she would write up meeting minutes and make notices. She says she cannot use a computer so it has been agreed that she will write everything by hand.

I was shocked by this. She can email from her phone so surely typing a document isn't that hard? I really wanted to suggest that she use this as an opportunity to learn but obviously didn't.

She's a nice, normal, middle-class woman in her mid-thirties (I guess).

I just was utterly bewildered by it. Is it common? Perhaps it is? I just can't think of anyone who can't use a computer. It's so easy.

I'm about to write a real letter to someone. If I ever get off MN, that is.

I'm mid thirties and I was something of a novelty at university as I had my own computer (a laptop). My flat was then one of the first to get dial up internet....

My brother was in only ranting tonight about our aunt's inability to email - she is late sixties and worked until about 10 years ago in admin. Her husband is an IT whizz and she has her own laptop to use (not that she does).

So no, I'm not surprised I am however constantly surprised at how few of my colleagues can type - we do masses of written data entry... I've suggested Mavis beacon or the free bbc website stuff to a few of them (we get paid cpd time and this would bea great use) but no one is interested....learning to type was the only useful things learnt during my stupid state schools inverse snobbery lessons (our pupils can't do 8 academic GCSEs so we will waste one curriculum slot a week teaching them life skills.... Country dancing, how to use a telephone and how to microwave a baked potato I would have worked outin due course I suspect!)

Quite easily I imagine chrome I was born in 73 and never used them at school or uni ( well nurse training but it was affiliated to a university) and have to use them at work but if she has not worked for some time or works somewhat were they are not paramount than she could easily be computer illiterate.

What is there to learn though? You press an "On" button and then pick up a mouse, investigate and work things out.

I'm 45 and was never shown how to use a computer, just picked it up myself.

I'm only 42 and there weren't computers at school and there were 2 for a whole university.

I bought one myself after uni in 1993.

Melonade - what do you use a computer for? I can't imagine most people being able teach themselves how to use spreadsheets or word processing software in fact I'd say it's pretty impossible to "pick up" how to send an email if you have no prior knowledge of a computer.

I was born in 1954, so there certainly weren't any computers at school. I'm very competent on my computer tho'. Mind you, I've never owned a mobile phone of any kind - let alone a smartphone - so I'm considered very weird because of that and umpteen other reasons no doubt

I was born in 1971. I didn't touch a computer at school or University. I had an electric typewriter at Uni and typed up my dissertation on that (it took sooo long!) I used a very basic BBC computer at work (school) and taught myself to install programmes etc.
I can email/surf the internet etc and occasionally produce a Word document (very basic and self-taught so not efficient) I have no idea about excel or Office and would definitely NOT want to be PTA secretary

Melonade - what do you use a computer for? I can't imagine most people being able teach themselves how to use spreadsheets or word processing software in fact I'd say it's pretty impossible to "pick up" how to send an email if you have no prior knowledge of a computer

My work, and for leisure/pleasure.

I really don't agree. Never used one at uni. I initially used one out of interest in sending emails, and just switched on one at work, found out I had to get a username and password and fumbled around for a bit until I got it. Maybe took me 50 minutes, I don't really remember. Whats difficult about it? MS Word seriously? Word processing does anyone use that term? I mean fgs MW Word even has online tutorials now!

As for spreadsheets, they are self-explanatory. In fact if you look at the online help for Excel, you can do your own. I once had to design programmes on MS Access for work, and managed well enough. PowerPoint is equally self explanatory. I can see how you would need a course for programming on Oracle systems or in Java or something, but using computers for surfing the net?!

I cannot believe people need courses to teach these sort of things. Surely experimentation and trial and error teach you all you need? Where do you draw the line? Classes on switching on your hairdryer and other common household objects?

I am 38. At uni, and for my professional exams, all of my work was hand written long hand. Took notes that way, wrote essays that way etc.

I have always had to use a PC at work though in my professional role, but as I didn't start professional work until I was 25 (in 2000), I can well imagine not really using a PC if I had gone into a different job. Its only because I use a PC so much at work that it occurs to me to use one in my leisure time.

Though I am very much behind the curve technologically. I still haven't found out how to upload photos, for example, and our laptop isn't connected to the printer at home so I cant print anything off until I get to work.

I had a good old spectrum 128 growing up complete with stupid bastard coding book which never bloody worked.
In school we had a number of word processors and two pcs. I could type but was only occasionally allowed on the pc. Certainly not for long enough to learn anything useful.
Since leaving school I have taught myself more about them, taken a couple of very basic courses and have managed to use office by trial and error.
When the mouse settings on the laptop broke, google was my friend and I can now navigate without one.
Ds1 keeps asking why I dont work with pcs as I can use them efficiently and can navigate the internet fairly easily.
I have to tell him I have no qualifications.
I am 37 and can easily believe that people in their 30s struggle with pcs.

Out of all the people on the committee, why would you ask the one who can't use a computer to be secretary? Surely you would say, no, really, it needs to be done by computer and ask someone else. I'm secretary of ours and it would be a nightmare without Word and email.

I do know a few people in my age group (40s) who have never really used one much, it is generally down to the sort of jobs they've had. Some of them have husbands who run the household finances and do all the stuff you might need a computer for. If you've never got into the habit of using one and don't need it for work I can see how it happens.

Yanbu - that is surprising. I would quite understand if a 60 or 70 year old couldn't, but someone in their 30s?

I first used word processors at work in 1985/6. Am very surprised to hear that anyone nearly 20 years younger than me wasn't able to do the basics on a pc.

Their is no mouse on a laptop

Beershuffle, you need to use the spell-checquer, oops I mean spellchecker

There is a mouse on my laptop, because I plugged one in.

I was born in 1961 and my computer training consists in total of an undergraduate course learning Fortran on cards, a week's course on VAX fortran when I started my first job and.... nope, that's it. I write software for a living. Learned C++ from a book.

Mind you, I prod and poke at excel spreadsheets if one comes my way... excel is so rubbish, doesn't work at all intuitively so I CBA to engage with it.

I am very computer literate but I can't type. In the 70s typing was only taught at school to girls who weren't going to university. I use a computer at work but if anything is more than a few lines long I dictate it to a secretary. Typing is a waste of my skills and time.
Caitlin17 - Whooaaa - what a totally crass statement. You only dictate to subordinates who are beneath you because they are not as clever as you? And can only type? I want to go and hide in a corner, I am not worthy to live on this planet

I'm 53; quite a bit older than lots of other posters

I expect most office jobs would assume rudimentary skills in 'Office Word'.

If a teenager applying for a job could not demonstrate these skills, I would not employ them.

There is a touchpad on a laptop, just as alien to someone who only has experience of a smartphone.

There is a touchpad on a laptop

Yes, but a mouse is easier.

partialderivative I'm older than you, I don't think this is an age contest.

Office Word would be considered outdated in many job requirements, therefore not a rudimentary skill, as the rudimentary skill has moved on from there.

For instance, I am proficient in "Word" "Excel" and others but my son is not. However, he is far more advanced in other computer skills. Much more advanced than me. I would think he is more employable than me.

Your "rudimentary" skills are being left behind

I use the touchpad on a laptop for email, web browsing etc, but if I'm using Word I invariably get out the mouse after a few minutes (I do a lot of cutting, pasting and formatting).

I wasn't commenting on you using a mouse! People are saying she does use a computer, a phone is a computer, but it is very different to using a mouse, and very different to using a touchpad.

YANBU to be shocked. This is as idiotic as if she couldn't use a washing machine or read a map. Why are they allowing her to be secretary?

Caitlin When you say you can't type, what do you mean? How are you submitting posts here? A voice-to-text program, or with some kind of predictive text program?

I was never officially taught to type, but I can type fast enough to post in a real-time conversation.