Touch Typing?
- Thread starter Car-Guy
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swakyaby
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My mother was a typing teacher in junior high school. She had a Learn To Type workbook at home, so I went through all the exercises at home on our manual typewriter one summer and became quite proficient. I never realized how useful this skill would be throughout my entire life.
I taught myself too. In my early years as developer on Unix systems, I had to use editors like 'vi', 'emacs'. Good typing skills helped a lot concentrating on the development work, and not had to look down on keyboards constantly.
Bryan Barnfellow
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Same, since I was college bound. An added perk was that I was only one of three boys in a class of 25 girls!
-BB
MacsNMore
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Touch typist (with occasional glances) since a one semester high school class. It is one of my most valuable skills: got me through college and my entire career.
Agapostemon
Dryer sheet aficionado
I also taught myself touch typing on QWERTY from a book. As I recall, it was an article in a home encyclopedia. Later on, I heard about other keyboard layouts and schemes. In my first IT job, I figured out how to remap the keyboard in Word Perfect to Dvorak. No one else has been able to use my computer since.
The only class through junior and senior high school that I took and didn't get and A was typing. In the semester class I maxed out at 20 wpm, and have since regressed to two index fingers and a thumb at about half that rate. I'm fairly accurate though! 
Joggernot
Recycles dryer sheets
Touch typist since I took a typing class in high school. One of the most useful classes I had in high school, and I've always been grateful that I signed up for it. The one class I used/use almost daily.
dixonge
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I have the Keychron K3 - really like it.
I tried your typing test site on my laptop - not an ideal keyboard, but decent results nonetheless.
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=47360&stc=1&d=1696979551
Lost a step from my earlier days - I think the fastest I ever tested was 93wpm?
Fond memories! Same. I know I had at least one semester, but maybe two?
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Trailwalker
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Took typing in high school. Type 80 wpm accurately on full keyboard. Hunt and peck on my phone.
CardsFan
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Unless I have missed a post, only 2 of us have admitted to being two finger typists, at best (AJA8888, and I). Car-Guy gets an honorary mention at 20 WPM.
I guess we hit the time frame just right.
And I guess it explains why I tend to write short posts with lots of paragraph breaks, and some of you go on, and on, and on, and on, without taking a pause.
I almost never read a post that has 10 lines of text before a break.
Just me.
I guess we hit the time frame just right.
And I guess it explains why I tend to write short posts with lots of paragraph breaks, and some of you go on, and on, and on, and on, without taking a pause.
I almost never read a post that has 10 lines of text before a break.
Just me.
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I’m a hybrid typist. I touch type but I look at the keyboard. I think in typing class I got up to 50 words per minute. I’m much faster typing my thoughts versus transcribing something that’s already written. Since I mostly type on my iPad, my most common method is just using my index finger.
HGTVFanatic
Recycles dryer sheets
Learned to type in high school thankfully. I can easily type about 112 words per minute. I see my husband pecking away and it drives me crazy. I told him that he should learn now that he’s retired. To learn, you start out typing simple words over and over again until you can type cat or dog without looking.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I took typing in HS ca 1964. In those days, there were maybe 40 girls and 3 boys in my class. Our school's heating system was radiators that were "on" and then the teacher regulated the temp. by opening windows. Of course, the boys were placed at the back of the room - where the windows were opened. Frozen fingers do not type well. But, after all - boys would never need to know how to touch type, right? Boys who take typing are sissies, right??
Took typing in high school (thanks Mom) and it’s paid off my entire life having been a software developer and in IT consulting and sales roles for years. Still remember one of the lines we typed in class… “There is no air on the moon. No, none at all, which is the root of the problem faced by the brave young men we place up there.” Or something close to that. Haha
Just curious, are you a touch typist on a full sized qwerty keyboard (use all ten fingers and never/rarely need to look at the keyboard)? Or are you a hunt and peck typist? Or somewhere in-between?
I never took typing in school so I was a hunt and peck typist all my life. I still am but I'd say I'm really somewhere in-between now since I still need to look at the keyboard "a lot", but not all the time, and I use more than just two fingers.
How are your typing skills on a full sized keyboard? (errors aside)
Touch typist here. Drives me crazy when using my phone vs. a real keyboard...
In high school I was the second fastest touch-typist in my class. But I also "bang" hard on the keys and would annoy my coworkers back in the day.
House Divided
Dryer sheet aficionado
I took a semester of typing iny sophomore in high school on an IBM manual typewriter. I was probably average as far as speed and accuracy. I remember thinking I will never use this once I start my career, but it turns out it was one of the most used skills in my career as a software developer and consultant.
pacergal
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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I am both, touch with peeking.
I had a required semester of typing and shorthand in 7th grade--still remember test days, walking in with a large piece of paper taped over the keyboard. We had timed tests, had to place our hands beneath the paper so you couldn't cheat peek!
Don't remember a bit of shorthand.
I had a required semester of typing and shorthand in 7th grade--still remember test days, walking in with a large piece of paper taped over the keyboard. We had timed tests, had to place our hands beneath the paper so you couldn't cheat peek!
Don't remember a bit of shorthand.
jazz4cash
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
My aunt convinced me to take a typing class in summer school after 8th grade. One other guy and a class full of girls....it was great AND one of the most useful skills I acquired throughout HS, college, and career.
Qs Laptop
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That's impressive! Especially on a laptop.
I've lost a bit too. I was typically a 70-75 wpm typist back in my heyday.
Tuirc
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Touch typing, I do peek a little sometimes. I had typing class in 9th grade (manual and IBM Selectrics). IT is my profession so there's a certain level of expectation on the typing side.
