comrade Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 There are times as a tech when Google is my friend. But some seem to think it indicates your not good at your job, true?
Popular Post NotSoFast Posted October 15, 2015 Popular Post Posted October 15, 2015 No. Selecting the useful stuff and applying it is a skill. 14
synaesthesia Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Absolutely not. Anyone who thinks they know it all is an arrogant fraud. As above, being able to select the useful/correct information from the thousands of possible hits from a search is a skill in itself and one that isn't as obvious as it seems. So many people are unable to get decent search results because they're not looking for the right thing, or assuming all the information they find is relevant or correct and it works against them. It's no different to checking Edugeek daily; there is always someone who's had the same problem, has a fix and can save time. Failing that, you may be able to save someone else time. 3
SJA Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) Who implied that seeking knowledge and solutions online means you are not good at your job? I suspect it more likely means they (the accuser) are a troublesome person. Maybe someone who doesn't work in IT support? Edited October 15, 2015 by SJA
forkies Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 I use google when working on systems I rarely use or doing a task I haven't done before because I am not an expert trained person on everything. In a time where you manage so many systems whereas in some corporate companies there is a team of people looking after just one system or less. I sometimes get emails from support people in external companies and they have job titles like "Technical support advisor, ms excel 2013" or "Technical support advisor, iscsi storage networks" in which case they are trained fully and specifically in one area and I expect them to never use google. It appears pretty much every IT guy in education is on here, we all need help and advice sometimes and it's pretty much the same as Google!
ZeroHour Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 No. Selecting the useful stuff and applying it is a skill. Pretty much this, Google Fu is an art form in itself, knowing how to use it as a tool is a skill and being able to pick keywords and analyse the fluff from the accurate isnt straightforward and requires a lot of reading. 4
elsiegee40 Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 And anyway... If it wasn't for Google many frustrated edugeeks would never have found this forum and would still be crying over whatever problem sent them to Google in the first place 4
Arthur Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 I would like to know which printer to buy: yes Why is that bad? I use Google to research which things to buy and to compare prices all the time so I don't waste my own time/money and the schools too. If I was buying a new printer I would definitely look at reviews first rather than blind buying one that may turn out to be rubbish. 4
Jwzg Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Not sure if the OP is trolling or not, but I have a question: what do you do when you don't know something?
jmak Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Not sure if the OP is trolling or not, but I have a question: what do you do when you don't know something? Ask Edugeek of course
Norphy Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Of course it isn't! As its already been said, no one can know everything and I don't think there is a professional out there who's job involves fault finding or diagnosis who doesn't use Google or a similar service to find answers to questions. Doctors included.
mikes Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 I think the OP is saying he gets a little embarrassed when called to someone's room to fix a problem, and he ends up doing a Google search - I must admit I get a little embarrassed when I am in a classroom to fix a problem, and I end up Googling a fix, esp. if a whole classroom is watching you (e.g. googling the location of the profilelist in the registry) - nobody ever says anything though.
Jwzg Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 Might as well 'fess up and say you don't know when you don't know.
mikes Posted October 15, 2015 Posted October 15, 2015 yeah exactly. I knew people who would lie and make things up instead. It may work for a short while, but eventually people catch onto them and they end up losing the respect of the entire staff.
Jwzg Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 @mikes, you have no idea of the situation I came from last year, LOL. The poor guy has just about lost all responsibility since I quit bailing him out.
localzuk Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 Knowing what exactly you need to enter, then being able to filter and choose the right results is definitely a skill. Saying using Google is a failure would be like saying Librarians are useless. We live in a world where technology changes so rapidly that it would be absurd to try and claim to know it all. Knowing how to find out is the skill to have! Reminds me of the first lecture I had at uni. We were told that we were not there to learn how to program. We weren't there to learn any languages or specific APIs. No, we were there to learn how to learn. 1
hardtailstar Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 What happened before Google?... Books? I use Google as an educational tool, basically to teach myself what I do not know to get the job done. Most of the time I also retain that knowledge so surely its a good thing right?
Arthur Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 What happened before Google? AltaVista and Yahoo? They weren't as good as Google though.
hardtailstar Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 AltaVista and Yahoo? They weren't as good as Google though. I'm still saying books!
Domo Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 What happened before Google?... Books? I use Google as an educational tool, basically to teach myself what I do not know to get the job done. Most of the time I also retain that knowledge so surely its a good thing right? I've learnt how to do all sorts of things through google, for example since i was 11 I've been able to set static IP's and portforward on routers just so people could connect to my World of Warcraft private servers. Maybe not the best use of that information but It goes to show what even young people can achieve using a search engine. It's never a failure if you learn something new and retain the information anyway...
Duranis Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 The other thing nobody has mentioned it actually understanding the answer that Google points you too and being able to implement it which is what sets an IT professional apart from your average person who could find the same answer but would not understand what it meant. Often you might not know the specific answer to a problem but because of the knowledge you have of the system/software that is causing the problem you can put in the correct search phrase, filter through the results to find the relevant information and be able to apply that solution. Nobody can claim to know everything, especially when it comes to technology and in my mind at least it is a better solution to search for an answer, saving time and learning more about the problem then just trying to blindly fumble through something.
Disease Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 I think the OP is saying he gets a little embarrassed when called to someone's room to fix a problem, and he ends up doing a Google search - I must admit I get a little embarrassed when I am in a classroom to fix a problem, and I end up Googling a fix, esp. if a whole classroom is watching you (e.g. googling the location of the profilelist in the registry) - nobody ever says anything though. I have the same problem although it doesn't help that when it happens I rip my shirt off and reveal my google superhero costume and shout "To the Google'ma'Tron" at the top of my voice.
CHR1S Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 What would be worse, Googling or whipping out a well worn copy of Networking for Dummies?
Smed Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 What would be worse, Googling or whipping out a well worn copy of Networking for Dummies? cmon, its not THAT well worn!! 1
srochford Posted October 16, 2015 Posted October 16, 2015 yeah exactly. I knew people who would lie and make things up instead. It may work for a short while, but eventually people catch onto them and they end up losing the respect of the entire staff. Over the years I've interviewed a lot of people. Saying "I don't know" when asked a question gets an extra mark compared to waffling randomly and hoping some of the words might be the right ones. Saying "I don't know, but I know how to find out and keep track of what I've found out" gets lots of bonus points! As others have said, no-one knows everything (nor can they know everything) but everyone should have the skill to find out information. Educational establishments should relish having people who want to learn new things - that's a pretty big part of what they do! 1
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