Break It Until It Works

I think it's safe to say that I'm the tech ‘go-to’ person in the people2people Brisbane office and not because I have a background in IT. No. What I do have is a policy of exploration, of clicking on things and hoping other things don't stop working; of trying to figure out a way to fix things without breaking them.

Disclaimer: sometimes I do break them – but I deal with that and find the right solution.

I know a lot of people find technology scary and it's understandable given how quickly the tech world seems to move around us. Apps update and all of a sudden, the product we're using becomes redundant. This is why my "Break It Or Make It Work" policy is serving me well. I don't know the answer (I'd go so far as to admit I NEVER know the answer) but I'm willing to have a go, and click on the thing and frown worriedly at the screen, when I get a message such as "you have over-ridden the time-space continuum and existence as you know it will now explode".

I also have the amazing ability to make it look like I know what I'm doing and people trust me.

Me: "Oh just hit Shift F1"

Inner Me: "That worked last time... I think."

Really what I'm saying is: have a go. Not just with technology, but with the rest of your working life ( and life) as well. Have a go. Break stuff, panic, figure out how to fix it before people notice. You know that skill you don't think you have? You probably have it, you just have to be really bad at it first.