From Whizkid to Useless Adult
Don’t repeat my mistakes
I was the one explaining the new VHS deck to my parents (yep, that’s how old I am). I fixed all the computers of my friends. People came to me for advice on everything tech. I was the computer whizkid. I had the best presentations in school and dabbled in photo editing when no one had ever heard of Photoshop yet. I was the first one to have my own domain name and a cool gothic webpage (yep, again, I am old), even predating MySpace.
I was the best in class when it came to English, literature, history, and conspiracy theories (yeah, they go way back). I was and am quite communicative, a good and self-conscious talker.
It showed when we did reports and everyone dumped their part onto me.
Fast forward 30 years
All my skills are digital, getting gradually replaced by AI and the younger generation, outskilling me. I can hardly fix damaged furniture, I need a mechanic for everything more complicated than replacing a bulb in my car or filling up the wiper fluid. I have no network of business people and no close friends. No one lends me a helping hand. No one would ask me for help.
I am useless.
People told me that I am smart and “well with words” my whole life. Yet here I am. Struggling. I…
