I think I’m going to lose my job” I overheard my mother tell my father when she came home from work one day. For 20 years she had worked as a stenotypist in a law firm. The same place day in and day out for 20 years.
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The job of a stenotypist is basically to listen to what the boss says, take notes using a quick handwriting technique called Short-Hand, and then type it error free using a typewriter. These would mostly be legal records, letters or notices.
It did require a great deal of skill.
First being a good listener, and understanding the legal terms.
Then being profecient at short hand.
Going back to your desk and quickly typing out the same, neat and clean.
Rremember on a typewriter there is no backspace or delete button. If you make an error you need to type the whole sheet all over again.
My mom was so good at her job that her boss called her,
‘Speedy Gonsalves’ (it was a famous song back then) and it was in reference to her maiden surname, Gonsalves.
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That day when she came home, her boss had told her that they will be moving to computers and getting rid of the typewriters.
She was worried she was going to lose her job.
My father and mother shared the income generating responsibilities.
She knew just one skill, and she had worked on it her whole life and she was scared if she would ever adapt to a computer.
Mind you, none of us had ever seen a computer in our lives before.
Luckily, her organisation had arranged for a computer trainer to teach the staff on how to use DOS, and a version of Word.
Next day, I saw my mom buying a fresh notebook. She studied diligently and made lots of notes. At night after all the house work was done she would read her notes and try and memorise the commands of DOS.
She would try and reach office earlier so she could practice too.
One day, I went to her office only to see what a computer is. She proudly explained me what a CPU, Monitor, Keyboard is. I saw a floppy drive for the first time back then too.
And then I saw my mother was typing office letters and seeing the advantages of not using whitener ink and the forgiving nature of the computer that allowed her to make mistakes.
Speedy Gonsalves was back, and how.
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As they say, change is the only constant.
Today at Synapse Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. We see the changes the creative industry is facing and we are embracing it.
From AI, Gen Z workforce, Technology, Globalisation, Regulations and so much more.
We have to keep learning, unlearning, relearning and keep moving forward.
And when things get tough, I just go back to basics, like Speedy Gonsalves did.
Buy a diary. Learn. Take notes. Practice. And come back better.
(Pic: I stumbled on a typewriter on one of my trips recently and it brought back a lot of memories, thought I’d share it here)
