I overheard a conversation a couple weeks ago between two older gentlemen as they were trying to get their laptops to connect to the available wi-fi.  I had just provided a bit of tech support to them so don't feel too bad about sharing part of their conversation.

They were discussing computers and all the other gadgets that dominate our lives these days and one made the point that, when he was in school, learning to type was viewed as a clerical and non-essential skill and that during his career he always had somebody to type for him.  He went on to point out that it is a bit ironic that we all seem to sit in front of keyboards and type away these days….and that he was glad he had learned to type along the way.

I took a typing class at some point that taught me basic finger positions and commands but have met lots of folks over the years that have just figured it out on their own.  In fact, one of the smartest developers I know types at blinding speed with only his index fingers.

It seemed a bit ironic to me that something that was once viewed as a clerical skill is now the primary gateway to our on-line world and an assumed competency.