Before There Was Modern Technology

In the 1990s I decided to go back to school because I knew to get a job in the market then I would have to learn about using a computer for work. I enrolled at Tacoma Community College where I majored in Business and got an associate’s degree. When completing classes I got a job but not one that would use the skills that I went to school for and actually qualified to go back to school once again with help of financial aid. So I went back to the same school and got a degree in computer science. Many of the classes had the same requirements as the business degree so I did not have to go as long a period getting the computer science degree.

When I finished the computer science degree I went to work for a startup internet provider in 1999. So I was on the ground floor of the new craze called the internet. The company did not stay in business so I had to look for another job which took me a little while but I got a job doing customer service for a cell phone company that was the other new craze.

When I was in school going for the degree in computer science one of the classes I took was in multimedia. I had to setup an email account which I did through Hotmail because our homework assignments we sent to our teacher through email. At that time not many people were into email as of yet. We were the first class at the college to do the email thing to our teacher.

Another class I took had to do with web design. Our final group assignment was to create a web page for a business. I remember one of the other groups created a web page for a real estate company. No real estate company had a web page at that time and of course now they are all over the place.

When I went to work to do customer service for the cell phone company at the time people had basic phones along with PDA’s. While working there is when smartphones came along which most people have today.

So we go back before the 1990s where we had no personal computer or cell phones. We think now what can we do if our computer or smart phone is not working correctly. This is what I call modern technology because then we had none of this. Large businesses had their large computers and pagers but no personal computers or cell phones.

I remember back in my days growing up we did not even have a calculator. We had to calculate the old fashion way on a sheet of paper or in our heads. I remember when the calculator came out and they were so expensive that I did not even buy one. Now if someone uses a calculator it is on their PC.

What did I do before PC and cell phones? If I wrote a letter that was not done by pencil or pen I did on a typewriter which was slow for me since I had not taken typing at that time. Something else I did when I went back to college.

I am sure we all remember the days of pay phones. It cost a nickel to use one. When I came back from a basketball game I would call my parents where I was left off at the local shopping center to come get me. I did not want to pay the nickel so my parents would hear dead air I think or a busy tone maybe. They knew that it was me on the other end to come get me. It was the only times I used a pay phone. Now you are lucky if you can find one anywhere. Of course if your cell phone is dead you ask someone to borrow to make a call no problem.

In those days we did not even think of modern technology because it wasn’t around. We played games the old fashion way. In many ways life was so less complicated. The kids of today have no idea unless their parents haven’t given them a smart phone. At some point they get one so the parents can get hold of them.

I like the modern technology however I miss the good old days as well. When I go out of town in two weeks I will have my cell phone with me but no computer so likely I won’t be writing here for a few days. Of course most hotels have computers so if I have time early in the morning I may shoot off a post to everyone to let you know that I am alive anyway and how thing are going especially if something interesting happened before or on the flight or after. It would be interesting if all of us would shut down our computers or cell phones for a day once in a while. Call it a mini-vacation for us and the device. Maybe the best way to do that is going hiking where there is no cell phone available. In the meantime enjoy your modern technology.