This article is written by Jay Jaboneta, a collaborator of PMC Basecamp.

For many of you who know me, I am a big fan of technology esp. emerging technology. The Internet changed our lives and because of the pandemic, we now live in a sort of virtual reality. I believe knowing how to use these digital tools is now a required skill set so one can thrive in the Creator Economy.

And I’m here to tell you that even if you are a beginner — you can become good at it.

I am not a digital native nor a mobile native. I was born before the Internet but I was one of the first students in the country to be able to try it when the country’s first Internet service was introduced in 1994. By some fortunate circumstances, the school I went to in Cotabato City, Notre Dame of Cotabato, was an early adopter since the Brothers who run it had to stay connected with their superiors in the US. So at an early age, I was introduced to search engines, websites, instant messaging, email, and digital media. It has been 30 years since the world is completely immersed in this digital world.

As I’m seeing that the pandemic has forced us to conduct most activities online — I plan to share with you some tips and insights so that you can become better at navigating this whole new world. I have also partnered with EveryJuan Can Code, a program under Power Mac Center Basecamp, the Apple reseller’s training and education arm so that we can help promote the advantages of using these digital tools. 

I’ve always loved Apple products from the moment I first used them and I hope you don’t mind that I will be referencing them as I share my insights — but the things I share won’t be limited to one platform.

As we all know, software ate the world, and today, we’re not just expected to know how to use applications or software programs but also ideally be able to code or at least understand the code behind it. This is how the world works now and it’s important esp. for the children today who will be the workforce of tomorrow to learn it. 

And how will they learn it? If their parents and teachers know and can teach it.

The first thing that I want to share is this — when you’re trying to learn something new when you’re mastering a skillset or a particular activity — it’s important to first adopt the right mindset. And it’s nowhere as important as today because we can learn a lot from surfing the Internet — there’s Wikipedia, there are tutorials on YouTube, even on Netflix, and there’s professional training such as the ones you can get from PMC Basecamp.

Top three mindsets when learning something new:

1. Understand change.

This is important. Only when you accept that this world has changed will you be open to learning and trying something new. I remember I had an aunt who instead of learning how to use the computer so she can be promoted to branch manager of her bank, decided to retire early instead as she didn’t want to give up using the typewriter. While I know I’m not in a position to tell my aunt whether she made the right choice — this I know — the computer replaced the typewriter and typewriters are mostly in museums today. It’s a sad story but we know that the only constant thing in the world is change. So when faced with this decision — give yourself the opportunity to test and experiment with these new tools instead of dismissing them outright.

2. Learn from failure.

Now, I cannot stress this enough. Just as how we learned how to ride a bike or drive a car, no one gets it right the first time. Don’t get frustrated if you stumble and fall. Do not get discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time. We really only learn from experience and we get that by trying and failing. Do not be afraid to start again, ask for help, and to be humble enough to admit that you don’t know how to use a tablet or a computer.

3. Know how to unlearn.

This is something that’s harder to grasp today but equally important — as the pace of change (esp. when it comes to technology) accelerates — it’s important for us to learn how to unlearn. There are technology platforms or digital tools that become obsolete within 2–3 years, and sometimes we might have just mastered it and then we’re “forced” to start learning about a new platform all over again. This is now our reality and we have to accept it. The pace of change is so fast that there are tools that become obsolete in a year. We have to learn this or face using a technology that the world no longer uses.