Education & Work Keyboard Typing - should I take the time to learn to type properly?

Hi Everybody,
I am basically a 6-7 finger typist - I use my two middle fingers, my two index fingers, my left ring finger and my right thumb and pinky in typing. My other fingers (left little, left thumb and right ring) I (mostly) don't use.

Is there much point in taking the time in learning to type properly?

I feel like I type ok with just these fingers but I suppose I would like to be able to touch type without looking at the keyboard at all - I can sometimes type without looking at the keyboard with the use of only these fingers only but I know it could be better, plus I do make a few mistakes when doing this.

On the other hand, if I unlearn my habits and relearn to type properly I may find the process frustrating and simply unnatural. Is it worth the effort?

I know some people are 2 finger hunt and peck typists and I'm glad I'm not one of them but I know I could type better.
Gockie

 

What's your words per minute and accuracy?

I'm a self taught typist and only use 5 of my fingers and a thumb for the spacebar. My WPM is ~80-90 and accuracy is pretty good (unless someone is watching me type) so I reckon if what you're doing now works ok for you why bother training yourself to do it another way just keep practicing typing without looking at the keyboard.

 

Are we even going to have keyboards in a few years time?
Unless you type text for a job all day long, not sure it's worth it.

 

If you're reasonably fast with what you're doing and it's not an employment requirement, it's probably not a big deal.

Otherwise it probably is worth learning. Despite the shift towards mobile devices, keyboards aren't going to disappear any time soon.

It's not hard to learn. I took a basic class as a teenager and didn't take much away from it other than what fingers are used for various keys. After that I just made myself use the correct fingers and I picked it up within a few weeks only using a keyboard for about 3 hours a week.

 

Typing was a skill only required by secretaries etc pre-computers. It's now required of everyone. If you need to look at the keyboard then you are 2015 illiterate. I can type and hold a yes/no/grunting conversation.

 

I like this...

 

I learned as a teen as part of work - and my fastest was up around the 100 words per minute with 98% accuracy ... so glad I learnt, even if it is just to waffle on PC.

Hubby is a search and peck, which drives me nuts, so made sure all the kids learnt ... this is a pretty good online tutorial

http://www.kaz-type.com/

 

I guess there are no excuses for me to not try to learn properly then really.
It doesn't sound like it's stupidly difficult or arduous to learn.....
Thanks everybody

 

Yep.
I can type far faster than I can write (about 100wpm).

I think I just did some online tutorials, and then practised. Lots of it came from typing in the dark as a teenager.

 

That's what I was thinking, maybe the keyboard has got about 10 years left in some applications.

 

Play computer games, you'll be able to memorise a keyboard easily but might end up doing it the 'wrong' way. Personally my fingers hover over WASD/IJKL/CTRL/Shift and space from years of gaming instead of asdf jkl;, but the typing speed certainly hasn't reduced.

 

Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrdddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

@Gockie it's a good skill to have.

Another option which could feel a bit weird is using a dictation app. I've only tried on my phone - but you should be able to get them for a PC. I guess the major issue with this approach is that sometimes the correct words don't come out which can make for some interesting conversations

Cheers

Jamie

 

@Gockie

as you know, technologies are moving towards touch screens and tablet computing! no biggie if you learn traditional QWERTY or not!

 

On a work day, I'd probably type more words that I'd speak. For me being able to touch type is a necessity. Especially, since I sometimes type while doing other things such as looking at spreadsheets, so I couldn't look at the keyboard at the same time without slowing me down significantly.

 

Fair enough.
If you need it for your work to perform as best you can, if you didn't have touch typing skills you would be failing to perform at your best.
So in this case you'd be crazy if you didn't have the skills.
For everyone else, there are more valuable skills to learn than touch typing.

 

Here's something that will mess with your head...

There's no reason the alphabet is arranged A to Z. It's completely random.

Also the alphabet song is the same as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.