Published September 30th, 2003

Unfortunately I have grown a reputation as skilled with computers in the freshman dorms.

The problem is too many students fear their own computers. It seems like a massive paradox, that technology something that is supposed to allow amazing advances in education, with the youth in the forefront of this revolution, yet at the same time many of these young people cannot maintain their own systems.

I see the problems everyday, computers that won’t boot, run slowly, or are infected with the new virus of the week.

The technology seems so simple to me, looking at it from the inside, but too many of my peers do not have the same viewpoint. They think that computers are so complex and they fear that they are so unskilled that they will break their computer with the slightest misstep. In a sense, those who live in fear of technology are justly fearful, if they use the wrong command, all their precious data could be destroyed. The problem needs to be solved at both ends, the computers must become more user friendly in all aspects, but the users cannot fear technology, instead they must be willing to learn.

Good Luck with that ever happening.


Written by Paul Querna, CTO @ ScaleFT. @pquerna