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Author Topic: Are computer skills a requirement?  (Read 2347 times)

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Offline V_Man

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Are computer skills a requirement?
« on: August 19, 2011, 06:34:37 AM »
So there is this one woman that I'll discuss. She is drop dead gorgeous. We are talking very beautiful indeed. She says she is really into me, we want the same things in life, she seems to be honest to a fault, etc. etc. She has stayed up all night talking with me and a few things like that which demonstrate this to me.

Yet there are a couple of things that make me wonder how much to invest into this lady.

One of them is that she really struggles with computers and software. I'm wondering just how realistic is this whole process given she struggles with computers even when I give her clear instructions in Spanish with pictures. What I mean is that it is a long process before reaching the stage of living together and using computers to communicate through that process seems vital.

Whatada reckon?
Are computer skills a requirement?

Offline fathertime

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2011, 08:00:44 AM »
I would put computer skills pretty far down on my list of important things.


If you determine that she has a general learning problem, then it is something that I would put a lot higher on the list. 


Hey if she is as beautiful as you say and talking with you all night, that is a damn good start! 


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Offline beginthebeguin

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2011, 08:49:51 AM »
V_man my novia hates dealing with computers but like your lady she at least tries and keeps at it. And that says a lot about her. Nothing more impressive than a determined woman. Eventually she will get used to it, those complicated instructions (for her) not withstanding. Keep encouraging her. I suppose to some women using computers is like brain surgery. I should know I was married to one for 25 years who had the same fears. Her fear was that she would somehow 'break' the machine.
With computers some women just need some encouragement.
Now a latina who can't use punctuation when she his chatting online is downright dangerous. jajajajajaja
 
 
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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2011, 08:49:51 AM »

Offline benjio

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2011, 09:00:29 AM »
V_Man,
 
It's very difficult to put the problem with the standards of teaching and education in Colombia into words, but I'll try. It definitely starts at the initial stages and persists throughout their entire educational careers. In the United States, we are not only taught reading, writing and arithmetic. We're not programmed like robots. At some level, depending on the quality of the school and the teachers, we are also taught how to use our brains. It's more than remember by repetition here. We are taught to use context clues when reading, so we can draw logical conclusions without them actually being stated. We are taught to understand cause and effect so we can make decisions based on the most probable outcomes of our actions. We are taught that 1+1=2, but we are also made aware of the logic behind why if that statement is true, 2-1=1 has to be true as well. I know these sound like menial mental cababilities, but a solid foundation of logical thinking being established at a young age plays a huge factor in helping us navigate much more complex problems when we are older. This goes all the way back to nusery school, where we all played with the toy with  square, round, and triangle shaped holes, and we had to put the pegs in the right one.
 
For the most part, this type of thinking and mental capability is not taught in Colombia. People know how to count money, read, write (at a very basic level), a little history and a little science. But that's it. While working in Bogota, I found that most Colombians with Masters Degrees and twice as many years of experience in my field of expertise don't have half the knowledge I have with only a Bachelor's. Computer Programming and Software Development is probably the best example I can use, because it exposes the inability of most Colombians to think up complex computational methods. Their brains just don't work that way because they weren't taught to think on a polynomial (multiple variables) level.
 
Your friend's inability to follow instructions WITH PICTURES doesn't surprise me at all.

Offline Bob_S

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2011, 10:43:42 AM »
Computer literacy is only important if it is important to you because you insist on living in that kind of world.  If she's a Flintstones girl and you're a Jetsons boy, it's not going to work out in the long run.  You may have to give her a pass and look for a Jetsons girl.

My requirements are more simple.  My wife needs to be only as tech savvy as she's comfortable with to be able to do her tasks without bitching and moaning, because we're not going to hire servants to do those jobs for her.  If she doesn't want to collect wood for a cooking fire, she better know how to use a gas stove and microwave.  If she can't figure out the controls for the washer and dryer, she better be comfortable using a scrub board and tub.  And though my wife runs 2 web sites, she can't figure out IM or Skype, but that's okay because she does at least know how to dial long distance for us to talk when I'm away on business and we have unlimited nationwide long distance on our land line.  The result is the same: "free" long distance communication.  I'm not so anal to insist that she has to do things the way I want it done.  As long as she's got a work-around that gets the job done and she's happy and comfortable with it, why should I complain?

Now, as for that staying up all night talking with you, I do hope that is a euphemism for something more fun because, gawdalmighty, I couldn't go for that yacking.  Shut the hell up, woman!  Your MAN needs his beauty sleep!  >:( 8)
...a wife should be always a reasonable and agreeable companion, because she cannot always be young.
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Offline InnocentVixen

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2011, 11:04:44 AM »
I understand how this can get a little frustrating, it gets for me with my guy sometimes, but if you are interested enough you will find ways around it and it's a good sign if your novia is at least trying to make things easier for you in some way, so what if she doesn't understand things in 5mins? be patient and give more detailed instructions or find another way.


There is always phone calls, the only thing she has to do is to answer the phone, I'm sure she can do that :)



I think bob's approach is a great one, it doesn't matter how things get done, as long as they get done!

Offline Brazilophile

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2011, 02:28:51 PM »
V_Man,
 
It's very difficult to put the problem with the standards of teaching and education in Colombia into words, but I'll try. It definitely starts at the initial stages and persists throughout their entire educational careers. In the United States, we are not only taught reading, writing and arithmetic. We're not programmed like robots. At some level, depending on the quality of the school and the teachers, we are also taught how to use our brains. It's more than remember by repetition here. We are taught to use context clues when reading, so we can draw logical conclusions without them actually being stated. We are taught to understand cause and effect so we can make decisions based on the most probable outcomes of our actions. We are taught that 1+1=2, but we are also made aware of the logic behind why if that statement is true, 2-1=1 has to be true as well. I know these sound like menial mental cababilities, but a solid foundation of logical thinking being established at a young age plays a huge factor in helping us navigate much more complex problems when we are older. This goes all the way back to nusery school, where we all played with the toy with  square, round, and triangle shaped holes, and we had to put the pegs in the right one.
 
For the most part, this type of thinking and mental capability is not taught in Colombia. People know how to count money, read, write (at a very basic level), a little history and a little science. But that's it. While working in Bogota, I found that most Colombians with Masters Degrees and twice as many years of experience in my field of expertise don't have half the knowledge I have with only a Bachelor's. Computer Programming and Software Development is probably the best example I can use, because it exposes the inability of most Colombians to think up complex computational methods. Their brains just don't work that way because they weren't taught to think on a polynomial (multiple variables) level.
 
Your friend's inability to follow instructions WITH PICTURES doesn't surprise me at all.

Benjio,

I agree with you that in many countries, rote learning is the accepted method and independent, critical thinking is not very well developed.  I STRONGLY disagree with you that the US educational system is much different.   Large numbers of students are drugged up on Ritalin and Xanax to make it easier for the teachers, and still more students are warehoused in Special Education classes.  NONE of those students are learning logical thinking!

Some students in a few good public schools, many private schools, and most parochial schools are getting the type of education you describe.  But that is not the norm for the US educational system as a whole.

Offline Researcher

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2011, 02:39:01 PM »


     Computer skills important? Nah, use the telephone if you have to.Now if she has a problem using a phone I'd say you might want to move on.... :o


      Researcher
Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Offline Alabamaboy!

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2011, 02:59:18 PM »
V_Man,
 
It's very difficult to put the problem with the standards of teaching and education in Colombia into words, but I'll try. It definitely starts at the initial stages and persists throughout their entire educational careers. In the United States, we are not only taught reading, writing and arithmetic. We're not programmed like robots. At some level, depending on the quality of the school and the teachers, we are also taught how to use our brains. It's more than remember by repetition here. We are taught to use context clues when reading, so we can draw logical conclusions without them actually being stated. We are taught to understand cause and effect so we can make decisions based on the most probable outcomes of our actions. We are taught that 1+1=2, but we are also made aware of the logic behind why if that statement is true, 2-1=1 has to be true as well. I know these sound like menial mental cababilities, but a solid foundation of logical thinking being established at a young age plays a huge factor in helping us navigate much more complex problems when we are older. This goes all the way back to nusery school, where we all played with the toy with  square, round, and triangle shaped holes, and we had to put the pegs in the right one.
 
For the most part, this type of thinking and mental capability is not taught in Colombia. People know how to count money, read, write (at a very basic level), a little history and a little science. But that's it. While working in Bogota, I found that most Colombians with Masters Degrees and twice as many years of experience in my field of expertise don't have half the knowledge I have with only a Bachelor's. Computer Programming and Software Development is probably the best example I can use, because it exposes the inability of most Colombians to think up complex computational methods. Their brains just don't work that way because they weren't taught to think on a polynomial (multiple variables) level.
 
Your friend's inability to follow instructions WITH PICTURES doesn't surprise me at all.
A book I recently read "Outliers" by Malcom Gladstone had a chapter which highlighted the difference in the way that Colombians and those of us in the US think and reason about things. And how that affects our decision making and actions. In general it illustrated that Colombians raised in the Colombian culture have a very difficult time "thinking outside the box", whereas the US born and bred folks in general are much better able to do so.

Offline benjio

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2011, 04:04:09 PM »
Brazilophile, unfortunately I have to agree with you. I do however still think this kind of teaching is a lot more prevalent in the U.S. as suppose to most countries in Latin America. But as you stated, I'm well aware the educational system in the U.S is far from exceptional.

Offline Jeff S

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2011, 04:20:55 PM »
Some of us did this before Al Gore invented the Internet and we managed. It wasn't that long ago, maybe 8 or 10 years, when most foreign girlfriends and fiances had no clue what a computer was or how to deal with it. It was rough back in the dark ages when you took pictures you had to take them to the drugstore then wait for prints to see what they looked like - then put them in an envelope with a stamp and wait a week or two for them to arrive. We wrote letters, made phone calls, and waited for news.


My wife, who has a masters degree, really only started getting into computers the last 4 or 5 years and only serious in the last two or three, even though I've always had one around the house since arrived in the mid 80s. The only reason she even started is so she could talk to me for free on skype when I was traveling. Before that she had little use. Now she uses skype for her friends, pays bills online, shops online, researches places to visit when we travel, and just about everything. It may take a while, but once she sees the utility, she'll catch on.

Offline Calipro

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2011, 05:09:41 PM »
Topic brings a lot more questions to my mind than answers.
How old are these women that don't have basic computer literacy and where were they educated?
It's been over ten years since I met a chic in Cali that didn't have a good grasp of computers. Most of them know more about Facebook and. Social networking than I do.
Don't think I'd dump a hot chick just because she had problems using a computer. Try and look on the up side. You won't have to deal with her using MSN on her smart phone while the two of you are out on the town.

Chicks in Cali are addicted to that [snip] anymore. Had one chick ask me why I don't answer my phone while we are having dinner.....maybe you won't have to explain to your woman that it is rude.

Offline whitey

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2011, 06:17:30 PM »
I guess I'll have to be the only dissenting voice on this thread so far.

V-man, I seem to recall you're a pretty young guy, and I assume this chica is even younger. I'm not sure what you're trying to teach her, but if she can't use email, download and install simple programs, use Facebook or Messenger ... that would be a big negative for me.

I'm not looking for a rocket science, but this is very basic stuff and anyone under 35 should know how to do it ... no one I know in Colombia has problems with basic computer skills.

I'm not looking for a stay at home wife (not that I'm knocking that choice ... nothing wrong with it), so I'm looking for someone who has a decent level of education, has basic life skills (which nowadays includes basic computer skills), and is employable.
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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2011, 06:17:30 PM »

Offline robert angel

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2011, 11:34:58 PM »
Some of us did this before Al Gore invented the Internet and we managed. It wasn't that long ago, maybe 8 or 10 years, when most foreign girlfriends and fiances had no clue what a computer was or how to deal with it. It was rough back in the dark ages when you took pictures you had to take them to the drugstore then wait for prints to see what they looked like - then put them in an envelope with a stamp and wait a week or two for them to arrive. We wrote letters, made phone calls, and waited for news.


My wife, who has a masters degree, really only started getting into computers the last 4 or 5 years and only serious in the last two or three, even though I've always had one around the house since arrived in the mid 80s. The only reason she even started is so she could talk to me for free on skype when I was traveling. Before that she had little use. Now she uses skype for her friends, pays bills online, shops online, researches places to visit when we travel, and just about everything. It may take a while, but once she sees the utility, she'll catch on.


I have seen  some people who weren't high schools grads who needed help to learn how to chat in Internet cafes, but were soon doing so on their own, after a little help from a friend.

In terms of technology and communications, if somehow computers all went down, we would all have to manage somehow even if all the batteries died or the electricity otherwise went dead. Worst case scenario, I guess it would be cell phones until the batteries died or were otherwise un rechargeable--I don't think Ham radios are too prevalent anymore here or overseas, but in the past they were good in disasters.

I think we'll have 'snail mail' (paper) for the rest of our lives, govt. or privatized, although regular Saturday 'snail mail' delivery days seem numbered here and abroad, as do print newspapers and bookstores.

I think they way they teach is probably not only different from the USA in some parts of S. America, but I know its very different in the Philippines. It seems my wife was taught to solve every Math problem using the longest methods possible and without being shown many short cuts. She has a five year bachelors degree from an excellent university (all coursework accepted by the state school board we sent her transcripts to) in both hardware and software computer engineering and has taken all kinds of high level math course work and can help my younger son with equations, statistics and calculus problems given in 'gifted' high school student's classes, as well as my older son with his university math classes.

What's weird is that where I can't even do algebra, metrics and am dismal at decimals, I can much more quickly than her figure out a restaurant tips, general averages of large sums, gas mileage,  multipliers and dividers--relatively simple (for me) mental math, but once you get into something like multiplying fractions on paper, I get start to get lost.

Today, by the time you're a senior ready to graduate in computer engineering, the incoming freshmen are learning almost a different 'world' of computer engineering than you are. A lot of it seems like a "state of the art" for 15 minutes' sort of world. At least she has shown she has the mental ability to pick up new concepts and is very trainable in computer, education and business concepts, but having been out of computer engineering for over 7 years, the boat has come and gone several times in that realm.

In a way, it doesn't really matter as years ago, she told me she was much more interested in working with people than with machines and it looks like she's leaving education and will make better money working part time managing a restaurant, while studying for work a medical field.

But whether you're trying to chat a potential mate or fixing cars, working as a secretary, in a restaurant, as a cashier, car salesman, in legal or in medical fields, you're probably going to have to get over on computers somehow, at least in most nations today.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2011, 11:38:08 PM by robert angel »
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Offline jm21-2

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #14 on: August 22, 2011, 02:21:40 PM »
I don't think it's a problem, but I would really wonder what was up if a woman younger than 35 or so had problems with basic computer functions. How does that happen? For me that would point to the possibility of an extreme lack of education which would be a problem for me.

Offline Jeff S

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Re: Are computer skills a requirement?
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2011, 05:13:35 PM »
I had to put up a digital clock in my factory because some of the girls couldn't read an analog one. Yes - staffed with young Latinas between 18 and 40. Just because everyone you know under 35 is computer literate doesn't mean there aren't plenty of young Latinas who have no clue what one of those funny boxes with a TV on top are.

 

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