If you were born in a decade that starts with the number 7, then you are old. Don’t be offended. Let me be the first to welcome you to your golden years. That being said, stop standing in the way of the future! I’m almost positive that I could write an entire blog about old people’s inabilities to deal with technology. It has to be one of the greatest all-time PA frustrations. I’ve already written about it time and time again.
(Some friends of mine from the Overpriced Film School made this:)
Here are a few stories to illustrate my point. All of these events happened in the last forty-eight hours.
- I insisted that the office start using Dropbox. The Accountant lamented, “It’s too bad you can’t use Dropbox on a PC. It only works on Macs.” I stared at her with my mouth agape. That is a 100% false statement.
- The Coordinator thinks I am a wizard because I know how to put a line through text on Word. It’s called strikethrough, and computers have had this functionality for at least twenty years.
- The Accountant’s internet went down. She immediately asked, “Could it have anything to do with the new alarm system?” (We just had a security alarm installed.) I wanted to scream, “DO YOU KNOW HOW THE INTERNET WORKS?! What could a security alarm possibly have to do with your hard line internet connection? If it were that simple to cross the two, then burglars would have free rein all over town!”
- Joe Buck the EP handed me a hard copy spreadsheet and said to scan and send it to the Casting Director. I asked him if he had the original file, because it would be easier to email it. He said that he didn’t have it. My thought, “Well, then how the hell did you print this out in the first place?!” After collecting myself and communicating this calmly, he realized that he did, in fact, have the file, and we did the sensible thing and emailed it.
- The Coordinator’s belief in my computer wizardry is further cemented when I figured out how to add a signature to his emails.
Sometimes I think that if it were up to all these old people, they wouldn’t use any piece of film or office technology invented after 1928. The fact that the office fax machine is still a pivotal appliance should be a hint that we live in the digital age but work in the stone age. A fax machine?! We might as well still have pagers.
When I run this place, I’m going to insist that we move into the modern era. Of course… by then, I’ll probably be too old to care.
7 Responses
“7” as in 1970’s?
I second Erika about your job. And it irritates me when places insist on a faxed copy instead of a scanned and emailed copy because the govt rules says fax.
Now going down the list:
1) Stupidy not age – assumes all Mac Programs aren’t available on PC’s.
2) I don’t use strike-through often enough and have to look it up when I do.
3) If it was office-wide, it could, they’ve been known to packet-flood; unlikely, but possible.
4) Okay, you’ve got a point with Joe Buck, but that’s why tech people have jobs.
5) Same as above.
Remember, it’s not age, it’s the effect of specialization. Oh, I was born in a decade starting with a 6. I’ve met people both older and younger who were unable to use technology.
You might be right, Erika, but I think we can all agree that fax machines are outdated.
Hello! I’m strating out my PA life and I have a few questions:1) If I did a one day, day-player gig for a show, how would I list that on my resume, if it’s even relevant?2) Do independent projects that aren’t by students and aren’t funded by a production company count towards experience?3) I know you’ve mentioned that student film experience doesn’t count, which basically wipes out my entire resume except for employment (which has only been at the mall and at school) and my skills. So what should I send into offices?
Coming from someone that loves your blog: it if wasn’t for technology inept people, you wouldn’t have a job. A PAs job is to make things run more smoothly. So. Keep doing it and don’t fight against the current. Good luck.
I recently transitioned my boss to IMAP so he wouldn’t have to email himself files from laptop to desktop. I also set up email and Google calendar on his phone. Whenever he emails me from his phone, I feel like I have the power of ten Grinches, plus two.
Hey Guys! I am wnkoirg as a receptionist at the moment in London for an Ad Agency! I am looking to get into production and eventually the dream is to work in LA in a role I love The only problem is that I don’t have a specific job role that I’m aiming for because I don’t know specifically what I want to do. This was until I came across the idea of production assistant/production co ordinator; this is something that has interested me increasingly over the past year or so . I’m not sure of the best way to move into this not having done this role before do you guys think its better to apply for only junior positions or just blag it and jump straight in? Thanks G.M