Having the ability to engage in tech-speak will give you a serious competitive edge in the business world, so how can you begin to improve your knowledge?
While possessing a lot of tech knowledge is not a pre-requisite to being a great business owner or analyst, there are many benefits to brushing up your computer know how. It will help you to keep your business network free from viruses and prevent a disastrous system failure, let you engage in more detailed discussions with a technical team, and allow you to tailor your product/services to a potential consumer based upon their own technical knowledge and limitations.
All of these abilities will sharpen your business’s competitive edge, so what can you do to ensure that your IT understanding is the best it can be? Here are 7 of the most effective ways to brush up your tech knowledge, courtesy of Syntax IT Support London.
Classes, workshops and seminars
There are a range of classes and seminars out there to help you get to know the inner workings of your computer, whether you want a general introduction to IT or a more detailed education in a specific program or area. Learning in a classroom setting usually proves to be much more effective than studying alone or online; allowing you to benefit from the expertise of a technology professional, as well as from the questions and contributions of others in the same boat as you.
Consult your tech-savvy friends and family
Whether it’s your friend from school who now runs her own IT company, or just a precocious computer geek nephew, asking the tech savvy people in your life to share their knowledge will allow you to educate yourself in a relaxed, informal environment, with people who – let’s be honest – could go on about technology for hours.
Talk to developers
Discuss with a development team how the installation and running of a program works. Once you understand the logic of a programmer, it is much easier to understand the logic of the program itself. Computer programming may be challenging, but once you know how it works you will have an invaluable new skill, and having a professional explain it to you will make getting to grips with it much easier.
Subscribe to technical sites and magazines
There are literally hundreds of tech blogs, websites and magazines available; all of which offer an inexpensive way to keep yourself updated on all the latest gadgets, programs and trends that could potentially help your business. Most of them come with tips to help you master every area of IT, regardless of skill level.
Learn a few software applications
Once you’ve taken the time to learn a handful of software applications, keeping up to date with new ones in the future will be simple. After mastering the typical features and technicalities of standard software apps, nothing will be off limits to you.
Read technical books and take online tutorials
Book shops and libraries generally contain entire sections devoted to various hardware, software, programming lingo and technical topics, which you can buy or borrow based upon your current level of know how. There are also huge amounts of online tutorials you can access for free on YouTube and other streaming sites, which will offer you professional expertise on any area of IT you require.
Volunteer for technical projects
Volunteering on technical projects within your local community will provide you with hands on experience in the company of both amateurs and professionals. The opportunities available outside the corporate world will give you a wider understanding of technology, and skills you can apply to your professional life.