I don't know how to type!

I never learned how to type the "correct" way. I use 2-4 fingers, but I can type fairly quickly 40 WMP, without looking constantly. I am currently working towards my degree and certs with WGU. Just curious as to how this will effect me when I'm in the job market or hired somewhere. Should I learn? Would I be a laughing stock typing the way I do?

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joneno

If this makes you feel good, I type 30 wpm. I don't see it as a problem.
That doesn't mean I don't want to improve my typing skills.

Concerned Water

Bokeh wrote: »

If you are really worried about it, pick up one of the typing programs, like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (I think you can still buy it). Practice, practice, practice.

I learned by Mavis Beacon, great program.

MrBishop

When I learned to type back in high school, the biggest challenge was to use your pinky fingers and to not look of course. It takes time, but once you learned how to type correctly, you won't forget it!

Valsacar

Akaricloud wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about not typing correctly but rather not typing quickly and accurately. It will affect your education, your job and most of all, your productivity. Why not just learn to type better? -It really isn't all that difficult of a task compared to some classes you're going to take.

These days every highschooler can type 60+WPM, being that slow isn't going to help you get/keep a job. This was actually a requirement in the school that I went to in order to graduate.

I have a very weird typing style personally where I use all fingers but have lots of cross over and vary which finger to use based on the letter before and after the one that I'm currently typing. Definitely not something that is taught but I can still type 100+WPM very, very accurately.

Hey, you stole my typing method! Just add in instictual backspace for any errors and that's pretty much how I type.

@tprice5 I think I had her in school too... hated how I typed, yet I could type faster with one hand than she could with two. She used to yell at me constantly for using the backspace on a typing test... but I rarely even knew I was doing it.

I started with an IBM 8088 at home, so been typing on keyboards for a little while now :P

log32

I type really fast, both in English and my own native language (Hebrew), it's really only thanks to Counter-Strike though.

Darthn3ss

TIL not everybody touch types. lol

had to learn in elementary, middle, and highschool.

XiaoTech

You can always teach yourself to touch type by not giving yourself the choice with a DAS Keyboard:
Buy Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard

I actually own one. Love the mechanical keys, and it being all black gives me that true "white and nerdy" feeling. :P

You can probably get by with 40wpm. I remember one job where I saw people constantly hunting and pecking and got their work done. Only problem was that they didn't write good notes in their tickets. Faster you type, the more details you can put in your notes if your in a call center/help desk kind of job.

DevilWAH

No idear now fast i can type! but i use some fingers and cand "kind" of touch type. I dont really have to look at the keyboard or think what I am doing.

I would say about 20% of IT tecs I work with know how to correctly touch type, the rest of us just know how to type.

Personaly as a network engineer with a bit of codeing, I don't see a benifit of learning to touch type, If you have a lot of sdocumatation / emails to do then it is a good skill to have, but other wise as longs as you are comftable at the keyboard then I would not worry about relarning to type just to save a few extra seconds as you log on to a server.

JustFred

This is not a contest , i have been in IT for years and i still type with 4-6 fingers but very fast. Seriously nobody cares, you can e-mail and get the job done so i would not worry, its irrelevant.

Unless you are working at the courthouse typing what the to be accused by some what corrupt lawyers and Judges have to say before the put you in the cooler LOL

Also as another member mentioned, if it really bothers you get Mavis Beacon? and try to do all the silly little games

Everyone

I was talking to someone on Lync today and it reminded me of this thread...

Nothing like sitting there seeing "John Doe is typing a message..." waiting, and waiting... and waiting... then when it finally pops up it's like 2 sentences... Really? It took you THAT long to only type that little?

On a somewhat related story... I remember one time I was remoted into someones workstation helping them, and we were not on the phone for one reason or another. We were using IM. Since I could see their screen, when they went to tell me something, I could obviously see what they were writing before they hit send. I completely freaked them out by sending them a response over IM before they could hit send (this person typed pretty slow).

boredgamelad

I got my first job in this industry because I typed faster and more accurately than any of the other applicants. This was the number one thing that set me apart from the rest of the pack because at the time I had absolutely no relevant experience, certs, or school to put on my resume.

Unfortunately, nobody seems to care how fast I type now that I've moved beyond data entry/customer service. That being said, with the volume of incident evaluations we do every day, being able to type quickly is important. Everyone in my department touch-types.

Akaricloud

Regardless of what anyone says, ability to type quickly and accurately will have a huge impact on your work.

When a service goes down impacting a large amount of users, you bet I'm typing my fastest while trying to get it back online and reduce downtime. Everything I do is well documented because it takes me almost no time to do so. Email replies are typed and sent much quicker improving my efficiency. If I'm at my computer most of the time I'll have a paragraph reply typed out and sent back before the user even looks away.

When you work in a fast paced industry with computers all day a skill this simple will play a big role in how well you can do your job. I would say that anything under 60WPM is completely unacceptable in a technical role.

Wilson502

Im self taught, i did take a typing class when i was very young, but for the most part i learned to type without looking at the keyboard through my own practice (playing games actually). I type about 70-90 WPM.

buzzkill

ytping fast and accurtalry is an importna tskil to have if you want tobe taken seroiskly as an iT professional - i can do 150 ot 200 words perminte depending on if i have done my dialy finger exercises,

joshmadakor

networker050184 wrote: »

If you are hunting and pecking it might draw some laughs, but I don't think its a big deal as long as you can get the job done.

Lmao, "hunting and pecking". That certainly drew some laughs from me

paul78

joshmadakor wrote: »

... "hunting and pecking". That certainly drew some laughs from me

That's an official typing methods according to Wikipedia - Typing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YuckTheFankees

I can currently type in the 50-65 WPM but I've always wanted to learn the 10 finger method...maybe I'll start looking into that.