I’m not known for being technologically gifted. It took me several minutes to start my new car because it didn’t come with a key. Oh! What’s this button do? I will try an app or new program, and if I can’t figure it out quickly, I give up. Basically, I’m a one-try-and-done girl. I’m fine with this thought process. If it’s not easy, it will not contribute anything to my life; therefore, I don’t need it. Generally, if I have a truly pressing issue related to technology–either hardware or software–I pass it on to someone else. That’s why we have children, right? “Son, how do I take a screenshot?” (I’ve asked this question a dozen times and will probably ask a dozen more before I figure it out or decide that screenshots are not necessary.)
So, imagine my surprise when a coworker asked me how to work the document scanner. Really? Have you seen me try to start the car?? Oddly enough, I managed to provide the answer. A few days later, I heard my name taken in vain. “Ask Becky. She knows how to do this stuff.” Do what? Fix the printer! Again, oddly enough, I know how to clear the paper jam (because there are instructions on the screen.) In the space of a couple of days, I tutored on scanner operations and cleared the paper jams several times. I think that no one else has any time to do these things, and I’m not the accidental tech go-to.
Then, it happened again. I got “do you know anything about Word?” Well, I managed to write papers all through college, so yes, I do. It was a relatively simple fix. I still am not thinking I’m the accidental tech go-to. Well, people talk, don’t they? Word got around that I figured out the document processing issue. Next up was a question about the snip feature on the computer. Yes, I know how to use that, and yes, I can show you how. Yes, I know how to use the auto sum on the spreadsheet. Yes, I know how to set up your new wireless mouse. Oh. sure, I can fix your settings so your monitors have the same resolutions.
I still have no clue that I am the accidental tech go-to. And then I hear it. “Becky can do that for you. You don’t even have to call IT.” WHAT??? Back the truck up. And it hits me that I am now the tech go-to. Me. The girl who can’t take a screenshot.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not displeased. Shocked but not displeased. It’s helped me to realize that I do know things related to technology and that those things are not necessarily scary. It’s also given me a much better appreciation for the on-call IT people. Those poor people must answer some really silly questions. So, love your on-call IT team! They know so much and they CHOOSE to do it!
