Shorthand is very interesting and mysterious to me. I know my mom knew some at one point, I think she learned in high school. I took a typing class in high school which I hated at the time (also it was using like, word processors, but they were super strict about teaching how to format a letter and stuff, at some points, which was weird?) but it meant I touch-typed ever since, and that's been very useful in life. I do wonder if they even still offer that class or if they just assume kids picked it up earlier in life, now.

I have no idea what the title is, but you will be completely unsurprised to know I also read and remember that book.

I seem to recall this as well. I always thought that shorthand would be a cool skill to have, but by the time I got old enough, dictaphones were all the rage.

I have been stabbinated twice, the second time today. Arm is sore (more sore than the first time, I think). I'm going to take some Tylenol and go to bed in a bit.

Is it this? [link]

Oooh, I think that's it! How funny that it's illustrated by Joe & Beth Krush, who also illustrated Gone Away Lake. That must have been why I was drawn to it initially.

The key plot point revolves around the fact that there are TWO different schools of Shorthand. One common in the 20s, that was superseded by an entirely different approach later.

A shocking number of schools never actually teach typing or a lot of computer skills. Either kids are "too young", or they assume the kids already know it. So you end up with kids who are doing a whole series of spaces or tabs to get to the next line, or hitting caps lock for a single letter, and type with 3 fingers like a TRex.

I don’t know if she ever used that particular skill professionally, but she thought it would be useful snd set herself to acquire it.

I love that. I always thought shorthand was so cool, but I never learned it. Also fascinated by court reporters and stenography.

I took a typing class in 10th grade for grins, and it's probably one of the most useful skills I've learned, honestly. I kind of slacked when we got to the numbers and symbols, so I still have to cheat with those a lot, which is annoying. Every once in a while I set out to fix that, but I've never stuck to it.

I've been a full touch typist since 7th grade. I think it's one of the most valuable skills I picked up in all of Jr. High School.

A group of us students from all three disciplines (Theater, Dance, Music) petitioned the Dean to have classes in practical survival subjects, like shopping and cooking on a budget, typing and to-date basic computer skills, tips on job hunting and interviews, etc. His response?

"We are training artists here. If we do that right, you won't need ordinary jobs to support yourselves."

I taught myself to type on a tank of an old electric typewriter borrowed from the secretarial training lab at the community college where I wound up in an office, typing and filing.

I noticed a lot of younger co workers aren't familiar with the keypad. So when they have to type in their employee number and password (which we have to do for every transaction) it can take them longer because they rely on the numbers above the letters.

Then a few of them mentioned they mostly use laptops that don't have number pad.

I think it took two classes before I was truly comfortable touch-typing -- one in high school, the other after (during?) college. Later on I got jobs doing data entry -- and then started to learn programming and my speed really took off, because that's pretty much what you do all day, in between screaming at functions that don't work.

Interestingly, I don't actually spell out the letters as I type -- I think "with my fingers" so that I'm pulling up the muscle twitches ("right forefinger to upper right = t") automatically. I only have to slow down to type words that I don't know by heart.