My father got me started and the rest i figured out on my own

We first had a computer in 1996. I learned how to use it on my own.

I just purchased one not knowing how to even turn it on. I guess you can say I jumped in with both feet first. That was 13 years ago and I'm still learning.

My grandmother gave me an Apple IIe when I was about 6 years old. I learned to play some games on it, and then I got a Windows 3.1 Machine and learned how to Surf the net and do file-organization, and then I got Windows 95 and started learning about Linux and my whole world exploded. =)

i talked to it and magically it talked back at me and i was likee WOOOWWW! and then i was like sweetness

Started playing with them in the late 70's. Became a hobby, hobby became a career. I've taken a few vendor specific and specialized classes, now I teach classes.

When I was in grammar school we had computers and we played these games that were on these big, square floppy disk looking things. After that I started to learn more and then I continued on my own.

erm.. i seem to remeber my school having a computer and a game on it. so i guess i taught myself. now i have a new computer and i'm teaching my parents *sigh* lol

I learned on my own mostly, but the quickest way is to watch over someone's shoulders, as they do stuff really fast. I learn more in 10 minutes of watching an expert than in 10 days of taking a class!

Not doing my work in computer class gave me lots of time to explore things that were not word and excel.

My job required me to learn how to do data bases and spreadsheets back in 1989. I decided to buy a Macintosh computer in 1990 and I learned how to do desktop publishing. Ever since then, I have gone through 6 macs and I still learn new things about computers right up to the present moment.

Actually I really don't know how to use the computer all that well. I turn it on and off and that's pretty much it. My husband has to do everything for me. He bought me this laptop for Christmas and it has the new Microsoft. I pull my hair out ! It's so advanced I can't even write a sentence. computers make me feel dumb ! Lol To answer your question though I tried to figure it out on my own.

My son is teaching me. I tried it on my own and really screwed things up so I have bunches of questions to ask him when he comes over. I have a long way to go before I even understand the lingo.

One or two of my co-workers in the mid 1980s were into computers and I was curious. So I watched and asked lots of questions. Once I saw what they were doing with their computers, I had to get one. Now mind you, this was in the days of DOS and the earliest versions of Windows, so you had to know much more about configuration than now. One computer led to another and like some others here, it turned into a speciality in computers and now I am a test technologist and training developer who also consults and teaches computers and internet on the side. No formal training.

I took a basic computer class...typing, and how to use some of the basic programs, how do transfer information onto a floppy disk, etc. The rest I've learned on my own; both from exploring, and trial and error. Even then, I'm sure I'll never know everything there is to know about computers.

My dad bought a PC in the 97's. He had now idead on how to use it, and eventually took him a month to figure it out. He taught me, and I taught him. We both share the same knowledge. I was taught though. Not by a pro.

I bought one from someone who couldn't make the payments any more, many years ago. I just started playing around with it while reading the manuals and online help topics. Thank goodness for GoBack, because I made many mistakes while learning. Now, people ask me for advice and help with their computer problems.

My dad taught me the basics, how to use the mouse, how to close a program, etc. then I learned by exploring.

The computer at work got me interested, along with the encouragement of a friend and twenty-seven years later, here I am! Self-taught and learning everyday.

On my own. But I made it easy for me. My ex and current husband are both computer techs.

I started in my profession (EDP at that time i.e. January 1975 and now called IT or Information Technology) on a mainframe computer - an IBM 370/125 with DOS/VS operating system and BTAM for networking at United bank Limited, Karachi's Computer Division using punched cards. At that time we had THREE branches on-line !!! All in Karachi. Have used IBM 3031, IBM 4331, IBM 4341, NAS 5000 and FORMATION F4000 mainframe systems. Switched over to PC environment in August 1990. Did courses at IBM, Institute of Business Administartion (Karachi), Software ME (Riyadh), Lahore Universirty of Management Sciences, Petroman (Karachi), King Abdul Aziz University (Jeddah), Innovations Group (Australia) etc. Learnt Oracle at a local institute at Karachi. Passed courses of DL/I, ASSEMBLER and COBOL at IBM. Self taught Paradox, DB2, FoxPro, Natural, VSBasic, MS-Project, POWERPROJECT, HarvardProjectManager, ERWIN, CICS/VS, VSAM, TSO, SPUFI, LOTUS, WordPerfect, MS Office, REXX, VTAM, RSCS, EP/VS Photoshop, AutoCAD etc. etc. Never bought / had a PC at home. What for? When I can get everything done at office spending an average of 12 hours a day for the last thirty-three and a half years or so, it would be a waste of resouces...

I learned mainly by exploring on my own, but when I first began to use one, I had a very good landlord/friend, who just passed away a few months ago, show me the basics on how to use one; fom there, i took off like a rocket, learning and researching non-stop on ow to use one.

I first learned the basics in 1st grade. Our school system didn't have computers yet, but had a couple of TRS-80s on order. They took the best and brightest and gave them typing lessons. Only one kid (me) really got it. Once I learned the fundamentals (LOAD, RUN, COPY...), I started to explore on my own. About a decade later, I started pounding on a System 6 Mac and a Bridgeport CNC mill. The former was intuitive, but the latter requires classes. We all know clicking and dragging, some of us know "DIR /a/w *.exe", but who else here knows "G80 G90 G40 G49 G0;"? As for Windows, I taught myself how to use Win3.1 without a mouse, and taught myself the changes for Win95 (a, B, and C, but not A), Win98, and XP Pro.

Well in school they didn't have computer's and in college I did see them but they were never of any interest to me, I was in LVN training at the time. Wasn't till about 2001 when a friend gave me a PC that had windows 98 on it that I got my first experience at self learning, I bought the Dummies book and sat down to teach myself what I could, about 6 months later a free class opened up in 2002 taught by a wonderful lady, she started everyone at the basics"Keyboarding" from there we went on to Microsoft word, Excel, Access, just to name a few and basic accounting, general office procedures etc. I had a lot of fun. Then in 2006 I found a class to learn to build my own PC as I want a new one with XP after my house was robbed.Class was great built my new PC and thought I was done, boy was I wrong, instructor talked me into staying for the next class which was A+, then N +, then a summer class on Networking Yuk, again I told him see you later and he talked me into coming back for another semester Comp TIA A+ Essentials and now its 2008 and I've done that class 3 times and am a senor tech in the class as well as a TA. the more I learn, the more I love it. I just would have never figured myself a person to go back to school at my age, I'll be 51 this month and its great to still be learning so much. as much at the school as well as on my own when I'm out doing tech work.

I had to learn on my own because my dad is a technophobe.

On ur own! I must say im 13 iv been using computers for about 6 years. They teach us a load of rubbish at school and I can believe they need to teach us the most basic things like making folders. Just get stuck in, I havent learned anything from school and when I do computer programming (C++...) I just use google to find tutorials and follow them.

I learned myself.

Mostly by fidgeting around on my own, I'm afraid. Computers and I go back to the days of the CBM (i. e. a long time before floppies -- remember those, kids? -- became commonplace) (and I'm talking about floppies that were really floppy and about the size of an LP -- which kids don't remember either), so it's been a long-time affair.

By exploring on my own.