C13: When to Get More Help

As noted in the section about troubleshooting, sometimes you need to call in an expert. If you run into a problem that is at the system level, or you have tried everything you know and still have issues, you may want to call in a specialist, a technician, IT, or contact the software company for help, if such help is available. You may want to ask a colleague if they have had the same issue before. Try to figure it out on your own at first, but then call for help if you cannot fix it.

At times, random issues can cause your problems. One time, many of my Word and PowerPoint files crashed every time I opened them. It took me months to figure out I had a corrupted font in my system—not something we tend to think of as an issue. You never know if the problem might be something truly off the wall. You do what you can, then call in an expert.

Along those lines, sometimes you need to take a course to learn a software thoroughly. For instance, if you are working with Photoshop or Illustrator frequently, a course would be a wise investment. These programs are so robust that trying to learn them on your own often leaves holes in your knowledge. If you find yourself running into knowledge gaps regularly, you may want to seek training.

Part of being technologically adaptable is knowing when to get help. If you ask too often, your technological adaptability skills will be questioned. If you stubbornly refuse to ask for help, your employer can view it as wasted time. And, just like all the other subskills we have discussed, knowing when to get help comes with practice.