My wife and I started talking about this after she had to help an old lady at the DMV figure out how to use her iPhone to scan a QR code. We’re in our early 40s.

  • 257m@lemmy.ml
    481·
    1 year ago

    It seems like my generation (Gen Z) is a lot worst with technology than millenials. Most of my generation don’t know simple stuff like how filesystems and directories work or how extract a zipped folder. I blame the usage of phones as the primary computer and really dumbed down software that dosen’t allow any sort of self troubleshooting or configuring.

    • glencairn84@lemmy.world
      8·
      1 year ago

      This is 100% it. Worked in IT 15+ years, started with building desktops, servers, virtual machines, building networks, troubleshooting in-depth kernel issues, tracing TCP/IP chatter, which built a really broad platform for my current job as principal cloud architect. I and peers of my vintage understand how to troubleshoot down to a low level, and we understand the implications, benefits risks and constraints of putting certain cloud technologies together even through the multiple levels of abstraction.

      We’ve had the benefit of experiencing these technologies grow and develop first hand, we understand how they fit together and where to look when something isn’t working. Recent graduates have not had the benefit of that journey, are so used to operating at the top layer of the abstraction that works most of the time, that I find they really struggle to decompose a problem, simplify and troubleshoot one logical component step at a time. Problem solving is a learned skill and multiple layers of abstraction make knowing where to start very difficult if the error message isn’t crystal clear.

    • macrocephalic@lemmy.world
      7·
      1 year ago

      I think there are different aspects. I know how to use that, I’m an IT professional, but people are always asking me “how to do X in Y app” and I have NFI, I don’t use most of the apps and have no plan to.

      • no banana@lemmy.world
        5·
        1 year ago

        I get that one a lot and I always ask if I can have a look at it for them but then they turn around and tell me they can’t be bothered. It’s fucking weird. I’m here ready to solve your problem, all you have to do is log in, and you can’t be bothered.