Should licences be imposed for computers?

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

The question says it all people. Since I have been working in call centres for however long I can remember, the one thing I have learnt is that the british public (apart from those of us who know what we're doing) have not got a clue of how to use a computer. So I think its time someone out there imposed some kind of licence...like learning how to drive. Ok yes I know there are learning centres out there but how many people have you spoken to over the phone who keep telling you they are computer illiterate? I know I have had a few meself...the only problem with me is I have patience, which is what most of these people dont have. Honestly, I have had countless calls from customers who dont even know how to turn on their bluetooth on the computer?!?!? others dont know what certain keyboard shortcuts do...and the rest...well I wont even go there. is there anyone else out there who feels the same way as I do or am I all alone in this? HELP ME PLEASE!!! we should impose some sort of licence cos I have come close to telling certain customers to take their machine back where they bought it from and tell the store they are too thick to have a computer of any kind. there got that off me chest at last...sorry if I offended anyone and in no way was it intentional.

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Uh oh, noels on a whinger again!

The main problem here noel is that most of the people dont call you, you may think you deal with the majority of users but you dont, most computer users get computers because they have them at work
or because they need to do a set of very basic tasks
the majority of users are not like you and me, they dont need to know keyboard shortcuts or how to get bluetooth working, atleast not on a daily basis like we do

those that use computers at work, you will find learn very quickly anything that will save them time,
your mearly experiancing the bottom end of the scale, home users, who need to send email, or chat with relatives

as for a compulsory course, its a bit proposterous, even the voluntary courses are crap
my mum has a CLAIT II thing, and in my opinion, whilst helping her, was absolute crap, they emphasised on all the wrong areas, like learning the interface of each program they used, rather than leerning common features available to all interfaces (context sensitive right click menus, keyboard shortcuts, etc) instead it was
I select that, then goto file edit copy, then move the curser and goto file edit paste, blah blah blah

windows has a common interface for a reason, and it follows over to most linux WMs too, so its rediculous to teach the interface of word, when a different version moves everything around

remember the saying
give a man a fish and he can eat today, teach a man to fish and he can feed his family forever

ever thought of getting out the helpdesk industry?

 

think I might get out of the helpdesk industry very soon cos it is doing my head in now...maybe doing some serious hands on stuff will do me...like actually building and repairing on a full time basis...what do u think about me doing freelancing? cos I have been thinking about it just dont know where to start...

 

It is here and called the European Computer Driving Licence

www.ecdl.co.uk

 

Well, since we're on this subject..................


I deal with hundreds of "MCSE certified" people every day. Just because they have the cert or license DOESN'T mean they know what they are doing. Let me explain.

Just today I got a phone call from a rather well known institution reporting their internet access was down and it was DEFINATELY the data line coming into their building. I asked how they were so sure is was our data line. His answer was "I just know it's your data line that's down".

Ok, so I log into the router.

I see T1 up, ETH up. (T1 up means the line to the building is up, ETH up means the line out of our router into their LAN is up)

I tested the curcuit for a while and see that it's taking no errors.

DHCP and NAT are both off, meaning we're passing everything through our router and handing it off to their equipment which is supplying their network with IP information.

I look in the ARP cache and see this:

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx----000f66xxxxxx

(by the way, really great site for looking up MAC addresses here
put the 6 characters of the MAC address in the search box and see what comes up)

Hello???? Anyone else see the problem here?

And this guy is "MCSE Certified"?????

Just remember that just because someone has the paper, doesn't mean they know what they are doing.

 

so basically all your certs are nullified too then....haha...no I do agree with you mate...no wonder I aint got my A+ cert done yet...blimey...better get a move on I guess...but it is about the hands on experience in the end isnt it?

 

I hope, as a true professional, you were able so share your specialist knowledge and let this hard working and underpaid MCSE know what the problem was. In order that he could solve this problem in the future.

You might be surprised at the depth of knowledge that the chap has in another topic! Networking is only one of a huge number of skills that any IT professional needs to have and to be honest it is not everybody's strong point.

 

thats one of the stupidest ideas no offense to you,
but that would destroy the market for pc repair, maintenace and others...

 

not sure on your direction here Its

hes refurring to users being able to USE thier PC not fix it, like a driver has to DRIVE, doesnt make them a mechanic, not sure how it would kill any market to be honest

 

yeah I was thinking the same thing Phoenix thank you. Itschop...how many people do you know actually know how to use a PC or any other computer or gadget for that matter and have asked you the most dumbest questions about that product that to u and me would seem like kindergarten stuff? thats what I am talking about. people who dont have the common sense to realise what they are asking...its things like that that licences should be imposed for...

 

After spending almost 20 years a service tech in another industry I can tell you that there are people who simply cannot understand technical matters. Their brains simply cannot think in technical terms, and they are like this about all things technical, not just computers.

These are the people who ask the "dumbest" questions, and some of them aren't "dumb" at all. I've known some really bright people who just had no technical acumen at all. They were born with a brain that simply can't understand technical matters.

It's like me. I can visualize what happens inside a computer network and what happens inside a refrigeration system. I can literally see it. However, I'm limited artistically to drawing stick figures. My brain just doesn't work in that way. The non-technical person who asks "stupid" questions and I just happen to be at opposite ends of the spectrum in the way our brains function.

This is why there is so many arguments about what it is that really constitutes "intelligence".

[edit]This is why there is so many arguments about what it is that really constitutes intelligence[edit]

And this is why I flunk IQ tests. I can't keep my grammar straight.

 

hahaha...I agree with you there ffreeloader...I aint slagging anyone off but maybe I should have been more empathic...

 

Well, I think you are slagging people off Noel, in that many of the points raised above are valid. Why should these people be expected to have an in-depth knowledge of the tool they use for business/pleasure/general education etc. I must appear like a complete idiot every time I walk into my local garage - but why the hell DO I need to understand how my car works to drive it.

I know what you mean - there is definitely a certain level of idiocy that we do see on a regular basis, as you and I and others here know only too well as we are directly involved in support, but let's face it - it's what we are trained to do, and it isn't every call that comes up.

Also, can you honestly say you have never had a case that the user knows more about something than you do, and you feel like sh*t as he shreds you for not being able to understand his/her issue ? I have certainly been in situations like that. What do you think the user is thinking of us at that point ?

It's part of the territory, IMHO, m8 - like Sunday drivers. Call it a necessary evil or whatever, but your licence idea ain't gonna happen, I'm afraid.

 

some people just don't get computers at all or won't
mind you PCs get sold as simple to use
having helped a friend install a wireless router which he was flogged to him at PC world as plug and play
to be fair to the router makes I don't think anyone expected to sell them to non geek types.
mind you I know somebody who managed to delete windows because the PC said there was'nt enough memory and the folders were just fiull of random letters and numbers