Did you know that October 3 is designated as the National Techies Day? There aren’t that many authoritative sources of information about this celebration. A Wikipedia page is yet to be created for it. Still, it’s interesting to learn more about this day intended for those who are interested in technology.
What is National Techies Day about?
Many would likely think that the National Techies Day is a day for meant to celebrate techies or tech-savvy people. That’s not exactly the case, though. This annual commemoration held on the third day of the tenth month of the year is a day devoted to promoting careers in technology among young people. In a way, it’s also about people who love technology, but the greater focus is on promoting jobs in the tech field.
The word techie usually connotes a person who exudes technical skills or fondness or the characteristic of being technically proficient, especially when it comes to computers. Techies Day, however, is more than just about the regular technology enthusiast you have in mind.
History of the National Techies Day
National Techies Day was started in the year 1998 by the website Techies.com in cooperation with CNET Networks. The goal was to help students in high school in learning about career opportunities in the field of technology. Acknowledging the role that tech would play in the societies and economies of the future, this initiative sought to attract human resources to industries such as computer programming, software development, network management, Internet services, and hardware design and manufacture.
The Techies.com website has already been discontinued. What you will find when you access the site is a domain parking page. The domain is already under the ownership of the Platinum Group, a company that specializes in the raising the value of small and mid-size companies (remotely related to tech). In its early years, Techies.com served as a nexus for those looking for jobs in the tech industry. It allowed jobseekers to sign up and get regular updates for tech job opportunities. It also enabled direct application at job openings through its online forum system. Additionally, the site featured “info centers,” which offered informative articles on career options, prevailing industry salaries and benefits, as well as information on related training and certifications.
Techies.com, moreover, once served as a useful online resource for employers. It allowed employers to find potential employees from the thousands of resumes posted. The site focused on the US tech jobs market. The job opportunity postings were browsable by state and city.
How is National Techies Day observed?
There are different things you can do to be part of the National Techies Day. There are no conventions or set of prescribed activities. However, the activities are directly tied to tech matters and most of which are doable online.
1. Make social media or blog posts
You can make social media or blog posts mentioning the event and promoting technology in various ways. You can use the hashtag #NationalTechiesDay. The emphasis is on honoring and celebrating those who keep technology advancing. You can write blog about how inventors and innovators have made life better for everyone. Even if your blog is not about technology, you can try squeezing the topic in. For example, in a blog centered on languages, a post about how technology encourages the shortening of words can be written. You can also post a video promoting technology and encouraging younger people to be more involved with tech not only through video games and recreational mobile apps. There’s more to technology than mobile computers and gadgets.
2. Thank those working in the tech industries
One of the most common suggestions on how to observe Techies Day is to thank technicians, inventors, tech trailblazers, and others working in the technological industries. This gratitude can be shown by sending fancy thank you emails or sharing multimedia content praising or saluting the tech guys. These content could be gifs, comic strips, memes, videos, or parodies adulating techies or highlighting the importance of technology in modern life. You can also express thanks offline by treating your techie friends, parents, or siblings to a filling snack or a full course meal.
3. Post information that interest tech enthusiasts
You can also help spread the spirit of National Techies Day by posting information on free seminars, workshops, or training activities that are of interest to tech enthusiasts. These can be free seminars online or useful video tutorials. You can use the day as an opportunity to be aggressive in pushing the technology literacy agenda. Of the hundreds or even thousands of friends you have on social media, there should be a few there who would be interested in the tech learning opportunities you share.
4. Share tech job opportunities to tech-related vacancy ads
In keeping with the primary goal of National Techies Day, consider sharing tech job opportunity postings or tag your friends and acquaintances to tech-related vacancy ads on social media. This is the original goal of the event after all. Help your friends or even strangers who follow you on social media find jobs in the tech industry. You’d be surprised how far a simple retweet or Facebook share of a tech job opportunity can go.
5. Improve your tech skills
On your own, you may also want to improve your tech skills. Try learning how to code or develop your own mobile apps. Stretch your computer knowhow beyond basic office software. Nowadays, being competent in using word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and image editing programs is remotely impressive. Everyone who uses computers is already expected to be at least knowledgeable with the basics in all of these software. Try learning new things you can do with your computer. Consider video production, web design, or even hacking.
6. Be an influencer on tech-related matters
You can also try to influence your siblings or friends to be a bit more techie with simple things involving gadgets or tech products. Goad them to customize their smartphones, root or unlock their devices, or learn how to troubleshoot gadgets. These are not difficult to do and can become useful skills in the long run. Invite them to learn software or app development. Expose them to the wonders of technology by sharing related online videos, articles, or viral stories.
7. Support local tech activities
The National Techies Day may coincide with the school science fair or other related events in your area. You can lend a hand to these events especially if you are in the position to help promote interest in technology.
8. Let techies celebrate their day
Lastly, have the patience to tolerate techies celebrating their day. It’s just a day after all. Refrain from mocking or contradicting the seemingly “self-aggrandizing” social media posts they share. Let your programmer friends have the day rationalizing their coffee consumption or lack of love life because they’re too busy debugging their codes. Avoid taunting your friends when they try to show some tech appreciation. Instead of mocking someone’s erroneous mention of tech terms, offer a polite correction.
Why should you get involved?
The aim in doing all of these is to spread interest in technology beyond the superfluousness of modern day conveniences. National Techies Day is not a major event. It certainly does not rise to the level of a national holiday. However, it is arguably more significant than “Random Acts of Poetry Day,” “Wear Something Gaudy Day,” or “National Pizza Pie Day.”
Celebrating the contributions of techies to society and the economy totally makes sense. Promoting careers in the tech sector, which is one of the continuously growing components of the global economy, is a no-brainer. It does not hurt allotting a day to recognize how important technology is to modern living. It’s more than just the smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, and gaming consoles. Technology is a vital foundation in progress. In the future, tech will dominate almost everything, so it’s only sensible investing in tech knowledge and skills.
Technology has many aspects and facets everyone should consider exploring. Getting involved in this one-day annual observation is a good start in becoming more interested in technology. The benefits of advocating tech savviness may not be direct and immediate, but they are real and worth propagating.
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