Guest Author - J. Lynn

When I started my first ‘Techie’ job, I really didn’t have all the skills necessary to succeed. Prior to being promoted to that position, I had worked for 3 years in the Marketing and Merchandising side of the company that I was with and I became an expert in using the software programs associated with those areas of the business. The natural course of direction from that position was to go into the Specialist group, the Technical/IT area or get promoted within the area. The IT group had more benefits, flexible schedules and had casual dress code every day so I saw jeans as a definite perk and my decision was made. No need to draw out a pros and cons list for me. It was more like closing my eyes and sticking a pin on a map to choose a summer vacation.

Soon after I began the new job, I found that I was in over my head. While I understood the user side of the applications that I was using, I wasn’t familiar with the technical side at all. Jargon and error codes sent me into my manager’s office by the end of the first week, puzzled by it all. He reassured me that I had all the right skills for the job, the main one being a will to learn and an interest in problem solving. That was the key, problem solving.

Regardless of what type of job you have, if it is related to computer use, you will find problem solving a major part of your day. From downed networks, to system errors; they all require the ability to see a problem, determine how to fix it and then put into motion a plan to solve the problem.

We are fortunate, those of us working in Computer Careers, because for every tool that we use in our job someone has written a manual for it. The answers are either in the manual or in a series of them. Occasionally, the manual is even easier to access and is online or in some format that makes it a point and click away.

For others, we have to search external sources like the Internet. Google has solved many a problem in computer careers. It’s a natural destination. Just come up with the right keywords, enter them into the search bar and hit enter. Up comes a list of thousands of possible solutions.

In the case that neither of these renders a solution, remember that there is a help desk, even for the helpdesk. Software and hardware comes with it’s own set of phone numbers to the experts that are waiting to solve problems just like yours.

My suggestion for solving any problem in a Computer Career is easy.
1) Go to the source- Whether you review the manual or contact their customer service, contacting the source will lead you in the first steps of solving any problem
2) Use the Internet - Start with the website for the tool you are using and look for their trouble shooting solutions. Many companies now have step by step interactive instructions that ask you if A. or B. is true, then move you on to the next step and towards a final solution.
3) Ask the experts – Your co-workers might be the best source of solutions as they work with the same products and programs that you work with and may have encountered a similar issue prior. Your solutions could be in the next cube over.

After your problem is solved, a good thing to do is to record it. You can start a log in a spreadsheet detailing the issue and the solutions. This way, if you encounter it again, you already have the tools to solve it. If someone else runs into the issue, making your spreadsheet available for the entire team and encouraging them to create their own spreadsheet can make for it’s own problem solving tool.

More important that anything else, you have to be proactive. A solution will not jump out at you. You must seek it for yourself. Doing so will give you the foundation to solving any problems you encounter in and out of work as the steps are often the same. Isolate the issue, break it down and solve it step by step. You already have the tools to solve any problem you face. Now, get t