To think that older people can be molded at work?

[malificent7]

Retraining atm. Have got excellent grades (99% in one exam 88% etc) on course and am conscientious on placement. The only thing i find harder is learning computer skills. Not awful at it but not as quick as my colleagues who are 20 years younger.
In this sense it is harder to teach me but im concerned that when i qualify i will be overlooked/ perceived as harder to mold.
My job involves an element of computer skills but i feel that some of the younger ones think that i will get the hang of it after being told once gow to do it and at speed.

So two things really...how can i convince future emplyers that i am as keen to learn as younger people and also how can i brush up my computing skills?

How to do it....

How old are you OP?

OP, do you have a hobby you could do on the computer? A close older relative started using a PC initially for letters etc, then realised she could do her crafting and scrapbooking hobbies on the computer. It gave her confidence in basic use and she learnt more advanced stuff relating to computer admin as she went along.

Local libraries sometimes run computer courses for older users.

i feel that some of the younger ones think that i will get the hang of it after being told once gow to do it and at speed.

Couple of observations:

1. Unless you are old Father Time made flesh, stop using phrases like "the younger ones". It puts you and them in different buckets, when really you are both widget executives or whatever job. Age isn't relevant here.

1. I suspect those people you refer to have issues learning the systems too, but one crucial difference is that they have grown up digital. They aren't afraid to jump in and press all the buttons, then figure out any problems after; whereas you sound more cautious about only doing it once you know 100% precisely what to do. Just remember- there's almost always an undo function!

1. You almost certainly have skills they don't possess, not to mention hands-on life experience - which nobody can learn in a book. Remind yourself of that too.

Ok cool...i think the problem is not growing up digital tbh....also i feel that inputting a wrong button could have dire consequences . In my profession it literally could cause harm.
Im 41 btw .

41?? That is nowhere near old enough to consider yourself unable to learn new technology!

You're only 41?!

I think one of your problems is that you seem to regard yourself as weirdly ancient. The way you were talking I thought you were at least mid 50s.

Just embrace the tech side and get in there. Find some digital learning online if you want to bone up on a particular system. Try stuff out. Noodle around in the programme yourself and experiment with the functions. Seriously, nobody is going to die because of a button push. People push the wrong button a million times a day in your field, I don't care what it is.

41!!! I’m 39 and do html coding as part of my job.

My 81-year old mother is mastering banking apps on her iphone. You'll be fine.

Your op made you sound at least twenty years older than that!

What kind of harm would the wrong button cause? I usually say when I'm training people it's ok to explore software because nothing they click on is going to cause an explosion ... Plus access rights mean you can only access certain functions once you have sufficient experience and responsibility.

Gosh, I thought you were in your 70s the way you were talking!

The young ones indeed! You are the young ones!

What you lack in computer skills, you almost certainly make up for in cynicism critical thinking skills.

41?? I thought you were going to say you were nearing retirement age.
My mum is in her mid 60s and uses a pc at work. She does sometimes need help with some things though but can email and edit documents.
Maybe just start using a computer every day for something until you gain confidence. Write letters and lists on word, budgets on excel etc.

If you go into it with the attitude of ‘oh I’m so old, I can’t possible keep up with you young-ins’ (which is how your post comes across) then you will be labelling yourself as useless and getting people’s backs up.

Anyone is capable of learning basic computer skills. As someone who is 27, I find it incredibly frustrating when older people in the office, act like it’s impossible. Especially when they are only in their 40s! My mother is nearly 60 and taught computer science. She gets very annoyed by the idea that ‘older’ people can’t use computers.

I also agree you need to stop referring to "younger ones".

Do you take notes when you're being trained on computing stuff? So you have step by step instructions for yourself until it comes easily?

There really isnt a lot you can stuff up that cant be rectified as long as you can explain what you did.

Do you use the internet? Watch YouTube or anything? Try and just spend more time using computers. It's harder for those 40 and over I suppose because having grown up with computer usage as a daily thing, theres a certain amount of intuition which helps when dealing with unfamiliar systems but 41 is certainly not too old to develop it.

You're only 9 years older than me and we had a computer in our primary school 😂

Forty one? You’re talking about youngsters?

I’m a lot older than you and can manage in virtual and digitally focussed world. I’m probably better with some of our data repositories than ‘ youngsters’. I can certainly hold my own around Excel, Word, PP, Outlook, our CRM system etc.

Sounds like you’re worrying about crashing the system with one button. That rarely happens.
I was promoted last year and expect to be so again shortly.

The only thing which will hold you back is your negative attitude and seeing yourself as different in some way.

Local colleges and libraries offer run computer skill courses. You want to be competent with the Microsoft packages (word, excel, outlook) also work doing some bits on PowerPoint would be helpful

41?! You're really 41?! Honestly OP, I thought you were in your 60's reading this!

I'm almost 40 and the youngest person in the office! Don't go in with the attitude that you're an old fart for a start and stop comparing yourself negatively to younger people. I'd assume someone your age to be fully computer literate. I've used computers my entire working life.

At 41 you absolutely grew up in the digital age. I did computer studies at school 1983-1985. All the jobs I've had since about 1990 have had computers involved. Is it more that you haven't had / been given the opportunity to use them often? You're posting on here so you do have some skills

41!! I thought you were going to say over 60, you're not too old at all. I'm 61 and have recently moved to a banking app, I'm really pleased that I've embraced and mastered a new technology. Well, it's new to me. Practice will help you, practice as much as you can.
Good luck

I'm 57 and learned computer coding at college. I have recently completed a vba programming for excel course for the fun of it. You're being ridiculous.

41 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 too old to be moulded!

I'm 62 and probably the most tech savvy in our office where nobody else is over 50 and most are in their early 30s.

You'll be fine!

41 is nothing - and if anyone ever tells you that IT is beyond you tell them it's your peergroup (and older) invented all the feckin machines and software they're using. I'm older than you and the biggest difference between me and those in the office who don't know that a Snickers bar is actually a Marathon is that they're incapable of functioning at all when something IT related stops working. And future employers? You tell them how much you've loved learning new skills and relish the opportunity to expand your knowledge.