Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Programming

Interviewing for jobs is so not fun.  I’ve been the interviewee and the interviewer, and I don’t like either roll. 

I remember my interview for my current position.  I had to prove I could carry fifty pounds of books between two buildings, which I did no problem.  I sailed through the typing test with flying colors.  Then they put me down in front of a computer and asked me to create an Excel spread sheet. 

I warned them that I couldn’t do it, but they wanted me to try. 

I couldn’t do it.

Thankfully I got the job anyway.  Maybe that's because in nine years on the job I’ve never had to create an Excel spread sheet. 

But I’m not going to lie; the first couple of months were hard.  I had to learn to use several computer programs that were new to me.  I’m pretty sure I drove my predecessor nuts with my questions and my confusion.  I’m sure she was grateful when I finally got the hang of things and stopped being so needy.

The funny thing is, I still do most of the things I learned back then every single, dingle day.  Actually, I do WAY more now than I did back then.  And I could probably do it with my eyes closed.

I’m programmed.

I once learned that the brain deletes neurons that are undeveloped or unused.  Like, if you don’t stimulate them by the time you’re eleven, the brain decides they are unneeded baggage and dumps them.  That’s why little kids can learn a foreign language easier and faster than adults.  My kids are great at jigsaw puzzles, but I’m not.  You see, my jigsaw puzzle neurons weren’t stimulated before I was eleven so my brain deleted them.

At least that’s what I’ve always told my kids.

I’m trying to learn a new computer program right now; it runs the beast in my living room.  My mind is having such a hard time remembering which button to push in which sequence, what information to input and what not to….ugh….it’s so frustrating!!  It's driving me absolutey bonkers to be so stinkin' needy.

But I suppose there is hope.  I suspect if I do it long enough the whole thing will become natural.

Right??

In the meantime, if you see any neurons running around with my name on them, would you let me know?

I want them back.

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