You Can Become A Computer Skills Guru! What do I mean by You Can Become A Computer Skills Guru? Becoming a guru is not about anyone else but about you becoming a guru on the computer. It is about you coming to be what people would call expert, professional, professor, a guru! Any and every person can achieve it. In fact, if you follow my guide and direction on this column for the next few weeks, before long, you will find yourself, increasing your capacity for your job, income, family leisure, etc and then you find a whole new world of opportunities possibly opening up to you because of new skills and capacities you have acquired and are acquiring. So in summary, becoming a guru means you (this very you) can become a guru on the computer.

What does it take to become a guru on the computer? From experience, I know it takes simple things that are very much within the capacity of anyone and everyone reading this article. In fact, for you to be reading this article now mans you have more than half of what it takes to become a guru on the computer. You will understand what I mean as you read on.

So, what does it take?
• The first thing it takes being able to read and write
• It is good that you own a computer of your own (though not compulsory)

Well! Go on

The first thing it takes being able to read and write. Can you see what I am saying? After all, right now, you are reading this article; I bet of course that you can write too. In fact, I know most people reading this article may do better than me in reading and writing. You can see what I mean by you having met more than half of the conditions to be able to become a guru on the computer. You need to be able to read and write because all commands on the computer are labeled in texts (simple texts usually four- or five-letter words) and many times the computer makes itself self-explanatory by giving you clues to the commands you want to carry out. So you need to be able to read and write which have already fulfilled. That is number one.

Just continue

Requirement number two is important but not compulsory, i.e. without it, you can still make progress, but if you can afford it, then you will do well to have it. It is good that you own a computer of your own. You need a computer of your own because it will be ever accessible to you, you will use it any and every time you want. You see, using the computer, especially when it is your own, is very interesting. When you are working on your own, even without a trainer, you find yourself learning, in fact, you find yourself learning a lot. Well, this may not be evident the very first time you sit on a system, but as you increase your frequency on the system, you will begin to see that most of the time, the computer is self-explanatory, it is user-friendly. Most novices don’t know this (and we trainers hide it as a secret) but I tell you it is true. Most of the programmes (software) we use on the computer are made to be user-friendly by the designers, and this is what you find when you have a ready access to a computer by virtue of having one for yourself.

Becoming A Computer Skills Computer skills guru, Get A Proven Computer Skills Trainer
We began a new series titled becoming a computer skills guru. It was eye-opening to say the least (well, if you didn’t read that issue, you will do well to find and read it now, that is the background to what we are doing today and the next few weeks). And I promised that I would begin taking you through the three routes to becoming a computer skills guru on the computer. The routes were given as:
• Register with a Trainer
• Train yourself
• Acquire tutorial software
I told you, you could use one, or two, or all of the three, any or all will work, so, beginning today, I’ll show you how the work and their merits. We’ll go one step after another.
Register With a Trainer
This is about the best of all (if done right), because by this, you will stand on the shoulder of giants, thereby standing taller than your equals. What kind of trainer can you register with? This is the very important question! You can’t just go anywhere and register yourself with them because they say they are a computer school. These are the questions you should ask yourself:
• Do they really know the job?
• Do they really have the equipment to train people?
• Do they have the professionalism to teach and train?
• What is their track record over the years?
• What is their bill?
• Do they give their clients the required attention?
• Do they operate an on-the-job process for their clients?

These are the important questions you need to ask before you put your name, money and time into a particular place or person (trainer).

I know some quacks with big names, yet they know and do nothing at their training school, only ripping innocent and unknowing persons (clients) off their money, after all those people (the clients) know nothing too, and since they don’t know, they won’t know they are being cheated, until it is too late.

In the same vein, I know good trainers too who are really good on the job. For readers of this column who want to enroll with trainers, you can seek counseling from yours truly; you will get for absolutely FREE. That is part of the essence of this column, and be sure that you get the best whenever you seek it. Ask and you shall receive!

Two Kinds Of Training That Can Make You A Computer Skills Guru Within A Short Time
What if you have succeeded in getting yourself a trainer and you are sure he is good enough to t rain you? There are different kinds of training you could do. They are as follows:
• Class Training
• Home/Private Training

Class training means you come to class with other where your trainer trains you alongside others. But for the home/private training, your trainer comes to a venue of your choice to give maximum attention. A class of you and you alone, usually, it is more expensive. So, depending on your taste and pocket, you can do any of these two. Each of them has its advantages. It all depends on you as a person.
Advantages
There are lots of advantages when you register with a trainer. Some of them include:
• Fast learning since you are being taught as opposed to trying on your own
• Opportunity to observe your trainer while he does other jobs, i.e. you learn by observation of your trainer on other jobs that may not even be part of your class.
• Possibility of depression is very low as your teacher is the leader you follow, i.e. you are not leading yourself, you are following a leader who knows the way.
• Opportunity to ask questions from your teacher
• Opportunity to interact with and learn from other clients/students in class.

Becoming A Computer Skills Guru, Train Yourself To Become The Computer Skills Guru
Today, we continue our series on becoming a guru. I already told you this means you (this very you) can become a guru on the computer. Though now you may know nothing on the computer, in fact, now you may have a phobia for the computer as everything on the computer seems like Greek and Latin to you. For most computer skills experts, it was so at the beginning but with training, counseling and practice they overcame that stage and came to be what others call guru, professor, professional, etc. That is what I want you also to be, and you can surely do it if you are willing to give it a go.
I already told you of three routes to becoming a guru namely:
• Register with a trainer
• Train yourself
• Acquire tutorial software
Today we are discussing the Train Yourself method

Train Yourself
I know you must be shocked about such a topic: Train Yourself! How can I train myself? I know barely nothing about the computer! I don’t even know the computer parts! This is impossible? Well, it is not impossible. All things are possible.
Like most other things in life, to train yourself has its advantages and if you can give it a try, be sure you will learn and gain a lot more than you ever thought.
To train yourself means experimenting those software (programmes) e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel Draw, Windows X.P., etc. For example, if you power a computer, it will start loading (booting). After booting, it will display your desktop (the first page the computer gives you after booting) at the bottom of the desktop is a bar called the Taskbar, it runs across the whole bottom of the desktop. There are icons on the Taskbar, the most important of them is the start menu (you know it by it reading START). By clicking on the start menu, you can access different areas of the computer including the programmes installed. The programmes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel Draw, etc) may be displayed on your desktop, from which you can launch them by double-clicking or if not displayed on the desktop, launch the programme by clicking on it in the START menu
On the start menu, you can also turn off your computer by clicking on turn off. Mind you, you don’t turn off a computer by punching the power button as your works may be lost, and it could also disrupt your operating system.