Those of you who know me, know that I’m a virtual luddite. (Is that an oxymoron?)
Compared to the younger generation (ie. anyone under 40), I know the bare minimum about technology. Or at least that’s what I’d convinced myself to believe.
Retirement has allowed me to expand my technological horizons.
Having been a devoted PC user most of my working life, or at least once I escaped the Dark Ages of the card catalogue (google it, you Millennials), I never thought I’d go over to the “other side.”
But here I am, the proud owner of an iPad, iPhone, and a new iMac. The first two are easy-peasy to learn. But the iMac...it’s a whole new animal.
I’d been told how easy Mac is to use, so I thought, hey, no problem; I’ll just magically transfer all my PC files over to my Mac and get on with life. Not so fast. And apparently not so easy.
I learned the hard way that migrating documents and photos from one platform to another is not as simple as just putting everything on a flash drive and plugging it in.
Especially when you have 24,000 photos, like I do. I’d need a flash drive with memory the size of a Smart car.
So, with nothing but time on my hands, I embarked upon some computer self-tutoring.
Between tips from OS X El Capitan for Dummies and Google, I learned that I’d need a portable hard drive that’s compatible with PC and Mac. Sounded simple enough.
That was until I learned that you have to format the hard drive in order for it to work. And therein lies the rub.
After approximately six hours of frustrating calls to Apple Support and the Geek Squad at Best Buy, I came out with a whole new lexicon: exFat, Fat32, NTFS, disk utility, partitions, and more. And I actually know what they all mean now!
All this is by way of saying that one is never too old to learn new stuff. I don’t claim to be a tech-head, but I’m living proof that fears, once faced, can be overcome. And now my files live harmoniously on the iMac.
So if you’re retired and looking to expand your knowledge about technology, check out the free Idiot’s and Dummies guides at the library, as well as free computer classes there. Retirement allows you the luxury of learning at your own pace.
There may be frustrations along the way but it sure feels good to accomplish something you never thought possible. Particularly in an area like technology, which is changing so fast.
Even just conquering the lexicon is an achievement. So get out there and start computing!
Shelley Civkin is a retired communications officer with the Richmond Public Library
