Comment by DanielHB
2 years ago
One advantage of giving kids laptops for schoolwork is that we won't be training a generation that can't touch-type
I am a bit serious here though, gone are the days where you were expected to learn computer skills at home. Most people don't use laptops all that much in the same manner millennials used to use desktops. So we are growing in a generation where people prefer to use touchpads instead of mouses and can't touch-type, hampering the productivity of these people unless they train themselves out of it. They have little reason to do so because it is not a 100% difference, more like a 5-30% difference depending on task
Funnily enough there is an argument to be made that a lot of millennials and older can't swipe-type in touch devices which is also valid!
I'm usually looking at people when they type on keyboards. When I was young (1985) most people that had to type, knew how to touch type. Then came a phase where it was hunt and peck when the computers showed up and everyone had to use them for work. Later you were expected to at least know the finger position even though you look at the keyboard while typing.
But I haven't had opportunity to see much people typing for a while until last year. Just last week I saw two people working at a bank not able to type numbers on the numpad without looking and using one finger. Both of them around 25. The optician could not touch type, was using a fast version of hunt and peck with three fingers total. Also around 25. But the dentists and doctors could touch-type pretty fast. All of them 40 - 60. (I started working as a personal assistant part time so see a lot of medical people, Sweden)
I am starting to see programmers intern/entry-level who can't touch type, less common for people with college degrees in IT though. Also in Sweden.