The FastDay Forum

Hi,

Well I was at Shrewsbury tech college last week ( plumbing).

My back was not good at all and I was havng to take pain killers regularly.

On the Friday I got a call from admin (she was called some thing like health support or some such) to say they were concerned about my back.....could I come in on the Monday to discuss changing course?

Although they had dressed it up nicely, I'd been bunged off!!

In fairness I was very relieved as I knew I was under pressure to get my back right and lower back strain doesn't do anything in a hurry for anyone.

When I went in on the Monday I really didn't want to be there at all. The lady was very helpful and gave me contact links for people who she felt might be able to help*. It was tacidly agreed that my studentship was terminated at that point and I, in fairness, knew it was right from both our points of view.

I have strayed off the point of the forum a little but I will return.

*The next day I joined one of the between jobs work groups she had suggested and the(incredibility helpful )lady running it suggested I went into IT. What do people think? Has she got a point? I have basic computer literacy though I am no Bill Gates. With level 2 computing( her suggestion) are there /might there be openings for a 49 year old?







There was some convenience eating in the last week and having cracked the 13 stone barrier at one point it rose to mid 13s...... oh dear.

I fasted Thursday and I've fasted today to get back on track.







My folks have been incredibly helpful and have pledged to help for a year (or as long as necessary) and not to feel I've got to rush into anything.

I ve relayed th tale for reason.... should I pursue this IT concept?

Thoughts?

I don't, by the way, have high £££ expectations. (I have few expenses now so it isn't that necessary)







David

My hubby and myself ran a computer sales and repair business when we were in our mid 40's. So age isn't a barrier.
There are still a tremendous number of IT illiterates out there and a shocking number of them are High School kids, considering they have been 'taught' IT for years.

There are plenty of IT repair men out there, some are cowboys as in any industry. But there aren't that many people who can do 1 to 1 training, maybe in a persons home on their own PC teaching them what they really want to know.

When we were in business we found the level of training and the knowledge level of the college instructors to be woefully inadequate as well. The lads we sent to college on day release to get their all important 'qualification' invariably knew more than the instructor and had to deliberately dumb down their knowledge to be able to pass the exams, as what they knew was too up to date. What the college was teaching was 10 years at least out of date. I do hope that has improved over the years.

If you want to learn programming you can't do much worse than buying a 'Raspberry Pi' and learning from that. http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/processor ... s/7568308/

I used various programmes with my son as we Home Educated him. Some of these may help. A few may be out of date, as I kept a list of various resources over the years, but haven't bothered to check on them for a while. My son passed my abilities very early on and relied more and more on my husband, his big brother and self study. The Teach ICT site I particularly liked.

http://www.teach-ict.com/videohome.htm

http://alison.com/

http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/

http://personalweb.about.com/od/designa ... tarted.htm

http://www.knobblycrab.co.uk/website-de ... orial.html

http://personalweb.about.com/od/designa ... tarted.htm

http://www.he-special.org.uk/articles/c ... prog.php#D

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... tml?cat=15

http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/

http://www.pcpitstop.com/

http://scratch.mit.edu/

http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

http://www.teach-ict.com/videohome.htm

http://www.w3schools.com/

http://www.typeonline.co.uk/lesson1.html

http://www.freetypinggame.net/

http://www.tripod.lycos.com/

http://www.xnadevelopment.com/tutorials ... ment.shtml

http://pythonturtle.org/

Nice one.

Sorry I can't help but good luck with it all, David.

If you think you might end up working in a university IT department get some experience with Apple computers. They are overrepresented at universities relative to the general population and there never seems to be anyone around in IT departments who knows how to work with them.

PLATEAU!!!!!

I've been taking a few days out to try to sort this back....at the same time fasting alternate days trying (also) to regain (if that's the right expression) lost weight loss ground.

My golly it's difficult when you can't do that much.

Been alternate day fasting but it's that 13 stone plateau...again.....

It doesn't help I can't sleep on fasting days.

Hope for 13 tone daad tomoorow am lol about time.