Tech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself : 4 Steps To Mastering The Tech World
Living in a world where technology is the prime driving force of the future is often quite an intimidating concept to grasp – but is it really as scary as it sounds?
We’ve all seen movies like The Matrix and The Terminator, each of which warn us of a seemingly imminent era where humans will have to face robots in a battle to prove our relevance. Even more so now, in our present reality, advances in technology and AI show no signs of slowing down – so yes, it is a little scary.
With a fast approaching technological-takeover coming I decided to equip myself for the future and recently joined a tech and software company, a rather overwhelming environment that’s often left me asking many questions to myself; ‘Will I ever understand all of this?’ and ‘Who has the time to learn everything that goes on in the background of these seemingly simple yet somewhat overly complex operations we use on a day-to-day basis?’
In an attempt to help all other ‘Tech Newbies’ out there facing the same fears of the future and asking themselves similar questions, I’ve put together a few simple ways to better understand (and overcome) the tech world.
Understanding the vast amount of facets that fall under the Information Technology umbrella makes knowing where to start a daunting task. If you don’t understand something ‘Google it’, if you don’t know something ask someone. In an industry filled with jargon and acronyms that may make you feel like you’re learning a foreign language for a while you need to translate this into a language that speaks to you. Only then will all these processes start to make sense.
Here’s a good place to start: 99 Tech Terms You Need To Know When You’re New In Tech
Getting to know everyone’s purpose in the technology space allows you to better understand how technology operates as a whole; a fully functional, well oiled machine that works best when all players come together. Keep in mind everyone started where you are now, keen to learn. If you’re not a Millennial or a part of Generation Z (also known as the Linksters), you weren’t born with an affinity for tech, you had to catch yourself up over the years with plenty in-depth research and experience and really that’s what it’s all about, an eagerness to keep on learning and evolving.
Get to know the basic roles in tech here: IT Job Roles and Responsibilities Explained
Let’s be honest, we have the world at our fingertips so there’s really no excuse to not knowing, well, everything. With easy access to information through platforms such as online search engines, audiobooks, podcasts and books to name a few, it’s not hard to find something to sink your teeth into. Make it your mission to read or listen to at least one tech driven piece of information a week, or watch a YouTube video if that’s more appealing to you. A simple search for ‘Tech for Dummies’ will help you absorb more than you think.
The opportunities are endless. The tech space promotes and strives on creativity and innovation, giving you platforms to achieve and create things you wouldn’t believe are possible. Turning crazy intangible ideas into usable and beneficial tools that can add value to our everyday lives (How could you not want to be a part of this?). As the primary intelligent beings we have it coded into our genetic makeup to constantly respond to external changes in order to evolve and adapt to our ever-changing environments. Technology is a fundamental part of our everyday lives and it’s up to us to make sure we’re at the forefront of this evolution.
And with that, I’m off to prepare for my first company Hackathon…
