Don't Patronise.. Educate! ~ Technology v/s Parents

This post was a long time coming.. I had half of it written but as I wrote it I realised how much more I had learnt since I started writing it. Further more after feedback from my mother I realised I might have been a little insensitive.. to peoples age!

So after a few alterations... here it is:

Most of the people I work with happen to be a little older than I am.Now that is not as bad as it sounds because I'm used to being mature.. sorta.

One of the things I notice most of them have issues with technology.. more because they haven't had technology as part of their culture.. we.. i.e. kids from the late 70s were brought up with computing devices all around us.. this makes us more accepting of technology and things are more intuitive because we are used to it.

I am usually really patient with them and explain stuff multiple times without being patronising. Because of this I get asked to sort out personal phones, tablets and laptops. I also get asked to sort out simple Computing issues.

The other day however I noticed that most of the questions they ask me (multiple times) are the same questions that my parents ask me.

I however don't do the same thing at home; I scream and grumble and get irritated when ever they ask me questions over and over... 'I just showed you how to do that' seems to be my mantra most of the time.. usually through gritted teeth.

I felt bad not just bad but angry.. very angry with myself.. I thought why would I do that.. to the same parents that taught me everything.. (yes I know some of you will say the education system taught me a lot of it.. but without the alphabet what use would that be... it's kind of like 'Zero' without which the entire numeric system is useless).

Okay getting back on track.. so I wondered why I was doing this.. why the double standards.. then it dawned on me.. I remembered every I don't care how long they are out until you have to be home by...  They can do what they want to do I said you aren't going to do that.. I didn't expect that from you.. that is exactly what it was.. I didn't expect this from them..

My parents are educated and very IT literate.. there was no way they were going to be the kind of people that got blinded by IT.

One thing my dad always told me and I need to make sure I remember and remind him of all the time is 'It is just a machine.. worst case it will need to be fixed'.

Here are a couple ways that I have learnt to deal with this.. deal is a rather crude word but you get the point.

If it is the first time :

I usually will explain to them in the least possible steps. probably make them do it a couple times while I'm watching over their shoulder.

This time I am verrryyyy patient and calm anyway.

The question that has been repeated more than a few times..:
Something that they ask about over and over again.

1. I usually go through the same steps calmly.. and sometimes insist on them repeating the process to me without actually doing it.

2. The second method is prompting.. I'll ask them what do you want to do... for example if it is installing an app it goes something like this..

Me: okay so you want to install an app.. where would you install if from.
Parent: the internet?
Me: yes.. so you need to make sure you have what switched on?
Parent: the net... umm.. wifi?
Me: yup.. so where on the net would you find it.. like what would you open on your phone..?
Parent: oh the store thing... the google store.. the app store.. no the play store.
Me: Right.. so where on your phone would that be?
Parent:... oh okay with all the apps...

Anyway you probably get the drift..

3. The third is literally writing it down for them..step by step.. or better still with screen prints. (Remember the flash cards you used to learn your ABCs.. don't ever forget them!)

4. The fourth method is the best and most effective.. if possible do it yourself!
 I find it is really simple to control a computer remotely these days.. and if its an app they are after just sign in as them on chrome and install the app to their device!

I know I'm not the first one that does this and definitely won't be the last.. but I do try to be more sensible about how I react to it.

Please leave a comment with your method(s).

Jack of all trades, master of none - I will get there eventually!

Alright I admit, I am extremely lucky, as you may have noted from my post on Realities for students leaving University after a 2:2 I have had issues too. I do still seem to look for that bright light at the end of the tunnel.. more often than not hoping that it isn't the infamous "white light" of a choo-choo train!

I do see the funnier side to life.. the good side of something that is horribly wrong... In-fact as I have come to realize my defense in an awkward or uneasy situation is to Smile.. can you imagine .. SMILE.. ?? Yes I am bonkers. Don't get me wrong I am definitely not one of those blurry eyed optimists that  can't see a major issue if it hit them in the face. I am very pessimistic when it comes to planning something and make sure I have most bases covered.

So coming back to the lucky part, so I am lucky and fortunate. I grasp things quite well and understand people easier than most - (I would like to thank Draw Something - it's a game similar to Pictionary only Digital). One last thing to keep in mind is I do not follow a particular religion, I believe in a higher being or spirit, not specifically an embodiment of the same. Now I know I tend to blabber a lot, but I obviously think this is something a reader should know before they jump to their own conclusions.

A few months ago when I was struggling for a job (P.S. I am still on a temp job so please keep me posted about any permanent & interesting jobs). I was quite low.. not depressed or anything although I did cry a few times when I was getting really stressed about things. So one day I was sitting on my bed.. and I wondered.. why was it that I could do so many things very well, yet none as well as some of the people that I knew. you know how the saying goes "Jack of all trades, master of none" I somehow wondered if that was in relation to me. although I was quite good at most things I did.

I was kind of artistic, usually had my paintings on the class room wall. I Could explain most academic things to classmates or friends, although I didn't get the grades to reflect this it is true. I am pretty good at arithmetic, geometry and nature photography. Where I lack in spelling, I compensate with semi decent posts I would guess (not mentioning technical expertise to cover-up mistakes pretty darn nicely.  Speaking of which I am not too bad at mending and a few embroidery stitches. I do however lack patience to see through crotchet or knitting.

IT being my chosen field I do find solace in certain software packages and reading through a different computing language. Understanding a language you haven't read before is almost magical although I wasn't sure if I wanted to be in this field for a long period of time. I have had supervisory experience and management training... and there is so much more..

As promised, I will get there eventually...

Today as I looked at my emails in my temp job I noticed how different every request was.. each task called on a different skill. This was the plan, although I might not be in this office or in this organisation for long, this was it. Still don't get it?

A Jack of all trades and a Master of none is a very badly put phrase. It reflects the mentality of the good old days, days I'm sure none of us saw with our own eyes. I'm no philosopher or researcher, as mentioned earlier not even a literature student, I do however have a theory..

This phrase probably originated ages ago.. before technology.. when people usually had one trade and stuck to it. the barter system prevailed at that time I would imagine. Today however we have the means and methods to learn, understand and experience most methods used to do various things. There are classes and workshops for almost everything. Videos are posted on Youtube or skill specific websites and blogs. Libraries have books on almost all subjects. With so many streams of knowledge literally at our fingertips I find it difficult to think this phrase has much to offer. In a way it limits thinking when taken literally, I realize it is mostly used to get people to master one aspect of a task or skill. Even so, every individual today has the opportunity to learn new trades or skills, they can also learn about things like I could quite easily Google how to make a brick barbecue and given time I could understand how to do it.

I am not trying or meaning to disrespect or demean any individual or groups' efforts at specialism in their field. All I'm saying is that you can have a varied set of skills that can be useful.

Being a Jack of all trades can actually be useful,  if used correctly.

Etiquette Oh My!

Okay this post has taken a very sharp turn, so sharp in fact that I needed to wipe clean my slate and start off afresh.

I was about to write about how I wanted to get back to crafts and origami and studying just to learn newer stuff. Tell you how I wanted to start reading etiquette books and learning what the right way and the wrong way were.

So get this, I got a book online and tried to start reading it. I will not mention the book because that would be rude, but it is an ebook available freely online and it is mainly targeted at women or Ladies as they put it.

To be honest reading the first 18 paragraphs drove me to put the book aside, not just that but I felt the urgent compulsion to close the browser tab that had the book. Now don't take me to be someone that is really classy or really messed up. I believe that each one has their own mannerisms and knows how to behave in a proper manner, being stiff or conforming to a certain standard is ok in school but it is something that should be a choice. That is as long as it does not harm another being.

Most of what I read in the book, however sensible it might be is really degrading. Well the way in which the author talks of it at least. For one, according to the author anyone that does not follow their specific standards seem to be ill-bred. There are obviously the "excessively ill-bred", "very ill-bred" some that have "the mark of ill-breading" or even "the height of ill-breading"and also those of "ill-nature". I honestly wonder why the author uses such a derogatory word as all it does is insult ones upbringing. Although most of the instances spoken of by the author had no bearing on me personally I think it highly insulting to even think of others in that manner.

Whilst being a little snobbish, most of the etiquette in those 18 paragraphs was reasonable. The reason for reading those books was mainly to be a little more poised. The only thing I realized was that poise has nothing to do with it. If you write a book that is meant for general NORMAL people it would be much nicer not to call some of the habits that they have or that their friends might have a result of ill-breading.

Yes I want to know which glass is used for what and what is the correct way to place cutlery, but I will not read some pretentious book that is written only to boost the ego of someone that thinks that everyone else is beneath them and can be spoken about in a rude way. The author does say you should never speak ill of someone in their absence or talk down to them. But in my book thinking of "oneself" as a superior being is all but the same thing!

That will be my ranting for today, honestly I do not plan on going on about this kind of stuff, it just hits me out of no where!

Jobs and Life after a University Degree - the Reality of a 2:2

It is absolutely amazing how each of us are told that a good education is all that matters.. some work experience along with a degree and you're set.

At the risk of sounding cynical let me tell you personal experience has taught me otherwise. You get out of uni and 2:1 or 2:2 you struggle for months on end for a job. Don't get me wrong there are some jobs there it's just that you are competing with sooo many more people for each job. I read somewhere about how lots of people go onto do further education, most of the people that I know who have decided to get into further education have done so for the lack of a job and being fortunate enough to be able to afford it. For regular Joe's like us further education is something we can think about only after we manage to pay off our initial loans by which time we decide to do it through correspondence because Life catches up and there are bills to pay.

There are schemes for people with a 2:1 or better although for some reason I do know a few people that still did not make the cut. I achieved a 2:2 which I am not too happy about but it is still a Degree and I did expect to be able to gain employment in my field(partially cause everyone online seemed to say a 2:2 was still something and partially because there were schemes for 2:2). What I did not realize was there weren't enough 1st class jobs for those that had a 1st.. and not enough for those with a 2:1 so most people applied for the 2:2 jobs irrespective of their grades.

Here are a few article about getting a job with a 2:2 its from The Telegraph, another one here from The Independent and this one The Careers Group London and this is not all there are manyyy others that can be found online. They tell you a 2:2 isn't all that bad, not the end of the world and you could still look forward to a graduate scheme or some decently paid jobs.

The thing is what you get taught in the academic world and what is being used in the real world literally has a world of a difference. If universities were able to adapt their teaching material and style quicker; not having to wait for a new batch of First Year students to decide on change, we as students would probably be more employable.

We always got asked mid-semester and at the end for what should be changed about the teaching technique/ syllabus. After we were told that it would be used to the next batch. Well what is the point? yes it created a better future for someone else, but we were still stuck in the same situation. We got told that the syllabus for the next year would be changing as there was a newer approach in our fields, well knowing that why did we not get acquainted with that at least a little.

Plus the usual dilemma where Employers want you to have work experience but wont give you the work to gain experience. And volunteering will usually set you photocopying or making coffee. What I do not understand is why universities cannot make sure every student builds up about a weeks worth of work experience by partnering with local businesses. It could be something like a compulsory module or something that could help make students more employable.

I have purposely not included my field of education and university in this blog because it honestly does not matter which field I'm in.. its the same story all over. I will mention however that the field I am in is a highly employable field, the only thing they want is experience..

I don't want to dishearten anyone and I certainly don't mean to disrespect anyone. However it is better to know what is actually happening in the "Real World ". There are Administration and other office jobs out there to tide you over until you get your dream job, however do not forget that you will need to explain why you did a job that was not on your pay grade.

From a Graduate with a 2:2

FYI I am presently working on a temporary basis in an office environment myself.. still looking for that dream job.

The Little things..

So during one of my conversations with Pittha I go on and on about the little things .. the simple things.. Stuff that makes me happy .. stuff that kept me sane through the toughest times.. and lord knows that I haven't really had a tough tough time.. its usually just stressful months and then getting back to being calm for a while.. but that does not really have much of a long term residence in my mind.. yes I do learn from any and all mistakes that are made.. and I wondered why it affected Pittha sooo much when the issue wasn't all that difficult.. I mean it was like almost lose a job.. which by the way I agree is a big thing.. but its one thing getting stressed about losing a job and quite another gettin stressed about maybe losing your job because of something that might or might not happen.. anyway as we were talking I mentioned the little things.. and Pittha just did not get what I was talking about..

To me the little things in life are the most important things.. your probably wondering why im rambling on.. so I'm going to get to the point.. If your a coffee lover and smell the awesome sent of a freshly brewed coffee when your in those all important few moments between being asleep and waking up.. it's almost like an involuntary muscular action when you realize your entire face lights up in a well rested smile.. and trust me it happens all the time when I get the aromatic whiffs from my dad S. Indian style filter coffee brewing!..

If you are one of the fortunate people that has a job and one of the unfortunate ones to have to go early on a Monday morning for the aforementioned job.. even in your grumpy and irate state you cant beat the glee when you see a nice big splash or bird poo drop on your annoyingly good/irritatingly bossy colleague's car.. or maybe you can.. if it falls on that unfortunate person.. however for me finding a fresh bloom or a drop of dew on a leaf has the same effect.

I find I smile when I see a puddle of water in the rainy season.. yes we have a rainy season in India.. however daft as it might seem our rains are very organised.. well sort of organised at the very least.. As kids you don't really find anything all that dirty do you.. and naughty as I was, a massive puddle of water means just one thing.. splash splash splash.. Loved every bit of rain.. specially the first rain.. when everything has that amazing freshness.. the fragrance of freshly wet mud has gotta be the one smell I will never forget.. although I haven't had that experience in a long time.. For some reason its almost nostalgic.. I have flashes of sitting at my window and looking out on the rain.. sticking my hand out just to get those first few drops directly on my hand.. running to the terrace or downstairs to get totally drenched in the rains.. ringing friends or screaming out to them to get out cause its a downpour and we can all have fun together..

When we were younger making tea for our parents or breakfast as a surprise .. sometimes doing up their room just before we went to sleep.. or planning to watch a movie as a family.. it does not have to be in the cinema.. and mostly it was not.. but just the fact that all of us got together made it all the more fun.. sometimes we would get all the mattresses in the house in front of the tv and all sleep in the same room after watching loadsa tv and have some snacky food.. or leave for a late night drive to an ice-cream parlor abt an hour away in the middle of the night .. just for the heck of it..

These are a few of the little things in my life that keep me going.. but there are loads more.. watching a flower bloom after weeks of watering it.. having my sibling get me my breakfast before I get up, just because we had an argument before I went to bed.. Driving.. just anywhere.. walking on the beach.. the smell of snow... the first sip of sparkling water(soda) after a massive weekly shop.. the lovely aroma or wine or liquors when the bottle is just opened.. the amazing fragrance of basmati(btw its pronounced as bass .. ma (as in manor).. tea where instead of having your tongue touch the roof of the mouth it touches the teeth.. like the spanish t.. and not Bass Matty) or pilau ( it is pronounced as pull... ow..  not pee lao..).. a lovely biryani.. or what ever your grans kitchen used to smell like when you were young.. its something your just cannot forget.. Things like the smell of a new book.. or a freshly printed newspaper.. when you think u can smell bacon frying in a neighbors house when your realize its coming from your own kitchen!!.. I can go on and on and on.. cause the little things just dont seem to end.. and these little things make all the difference in the long run..

So a post to all those little things in life.. that make life worth living..!
Please do leave your set of little things that make you happy in the comments..!