I have been hooked on computers for years, starting in 1983. I don't remember what, if any, software came with my first computer, but it didn't seem to take long before I learned that Windows was the recommended operating system, unless I was going to university or living in Seattle, where Mac OS preferred. Microsoft Office was recommended to me when I became a serious learner of word processing. It was expensive at the time, and there were segments that I wasn't interested in learning.
Windows kept upgrading, needing my software to be upgraded too, and then there came my desire to learn graphic design. CorelDraw was my next major purchase. Again, I had to learn the vocabulary and tools available. It's one thing to read the instructions, but I also had to have a dictionary within reach so that I could understand what I was reading. My computer skills are self taught; no formal instructions for years, but I progressed to doing contract medical transcribing, and then my home-based graphic design business, When I retired, I no longer needed to design graphics, and the saying “Use It or Lose It” became a reality.
Now, with a more casual approach to computers, and limited income, I began to find tools online that are free. My first big “find” was OpenOffice by Apache. It is every bit as good as MS Office and it is FREE. It is loaded with options, more than this computer “junkie” will ever need. I still love to learn, and there are many opportunities to be creative (with a little bit of help of many Free online tools).
Thanks to TC and his Cloudeight newsletter, filled with good advice, there are many opportunities to keep learning.
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