How fast are you at learning computer software?

[Scrambling101]

I'm so slow. Am shit at excel for example but it seems to be a particularly useful one to know.

I just cannot learn stuff like this, maybe it's my age - am on the descent to 40. I'm much better at retaining info for example a summary of a document, compared to needing to know a set of precise steps for an excel formula.

Youtube videos are your friend OP. They show how to do everything.

I'm lazy as Fk about learning anything I don't use a lot.
Software is ok to learn but don't ask me to remember which rules apply to using which statistical methods. Always a long list of caveats & things (assumptions) to look up that are method-specific.

I can pick software up pretty quickly, it's how my brain works. I'm a programmer/consultant so the software I use for development, things like Visual Studio, SQL Server, SSIS I know like the back of my hand. Also the same with the languages I mainly use (C#, C++, Javascript, SQL), although I know and use more languages than that. The software I consult on I know very well, but not the whole suite, as there is no need.

Excel I use in a totally different way to most normal users. I'll manipulate/transform data sets that need loading into databases, if they are supplied in certain formats and it's a one off import. Excel is like a Swiss Army knife and you can do so much more with it than the "traditional" spreadsheet.

The thing we have in common is relishing the challenge of digging around in a bit of tech to figure out how to get it to do what we need. It’s enormously creative and fun.

You have just articulated why I enjoy using excel so much.

I'll get my anorak

Lol at ginfordinner

Geeks unite!

Happily for us it’s now a very marketable skill.

I finally get to use my powers of curiosity and obscure systems thinking for good, and to put food on the table. Happy days!

@PhilCornwall1 hello! I’m in Cornwall too, assuming you are named for where you are.

Likewise, I consult on specific tech stacks, but can turn my hand to whatever else gets thrown in alongside.

I love your Swiss Army knife analogy. Exactly that.

One of my favourites is AirTable, for the perfect blend of no-code and friendly visuals combined with super-capable and endlessly versatile database and integration capability.

Brilliant tool for small businesses, and should be much more widely used.

I'm pretty amazing. I started working tempting at the start of computers. I would go into an office por aap couple of days and they might use word or amipro or wordperfect or wordstar or any one of the many word processing packages. I learnt quickly to sift through the menu or use the help for what I needed to do. Same with spreadsheet packages. And as for working out some of the locally built programmes - that was a challenge.

It depends on the software. Some is easy to pick up what you need, some isn't.

Excel simply doesn't work in ways that seems obvious to me, and I've got scientific data pipelining software I can use to manipulate data any way I want (including data that excel wouldn't ever be able to deal with), or I can write other types of code, so I've never tried to learn it. DH does all sorts of financial spreadsheets with it; even in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing it seems quite finicky.

[quote ComeBackLaterPlease]@PhilCornwall1 hello! I’m in Cornwall too, assuming you are named for where you are.

Likewise, I consult on specific tech stacks, but can turn my hand to whatever else gets thrown in alongside.

I love your Swiss Army knife analogy. Exactly that.

One of my favourites is AirTable, for the perfect blend of no-code and friendly visuals combined with super-capable and endlessly versatile database and integration capability.

Brilliant tool for small businesses, and should be much more widely used.[/quote]
Hello, yes I'm in Cornwall.

I'd not heard of AirTable until you mentioned it, so went off for a quick look at it. It looks an interesting tool. I'm certainly going to have a go with it to see what I can do with it.

When I was at school excel didn't exist, we had to create, "three dimensional arrays" (A Level computer science).

OP as others have said you need to use software to become proficient. If you are not in work start with your bank account and look at your spending.

Then move on to any loans / credit cards and how a change in interest or increasing payments impacts on the amount paid.

It depends on the software. Some is easy to pick up what you need, some isn't.

It does but it also depends on the person using it and the person that designed the user interface, HCI should be compulsory for all programmers.

Dh can direct me around any software he uses remotely - like he has the map clearly laid out in his head - I need to have screen in front of me to remember what to do next. I rely on google, YouTube and the software support.

I am in my fifties and I have had to get familiar with a lot of new technology over the last few years. I have struggled a bit I'll admit but I think I would have done the same when younger too. I am now more knowledgeable than lots of younger colleagues although it took me longer to get there. I get familiar by playing around with the software and googling when I get stuck but classroom instruction is pretty meaningless for me unless I am actually doing it. I sometimes make a quick written note of how to do something so I can refer to it as necessary - like how to sync my teams files so that they appear on my file manager.

It does but it also depends on the person using it and the person that designed the user interface, HCI should be compulsory for all programmers.

Programmers shouldn't be designing the UI full stop to be honest.

The company I work for produces an awful lot of software products and along with the various development teams (on and offshore), we have teams of UI designers who put together the UI. It's a hell of an undertaking.

Programmers are notoriously shocking at designing an intuitive UI.

I know Word, Excel and PowerPoint because I use them frequently. I still have to Google some things in Excel if I haven't done them for a while as I forget.

Instant. Closer to 50 than 40. Software engineer by trade with ninja skills in HCI.

Never mastered giving myself a blow-dry though. We all have different skills.

Said to me in 1997 “it’s very manly the way you use computers”. Thank fuck we’ve moved on - although I do feel some women believe they “can’t” rattan than ACTUALLY can’t.

I pick up software skills really easily but that's probably cos I'm super bright and I pick up everything easily. I'm extremely scatter-brained and have absolutely no sense of direction though. Weird how brains are good at different things.