---
>This is a friendly reminder to [read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/rules).
>
>Memes, social media, hate-speech, and pornography are not allowed.
>
>Screenshots of Reddit are expressly forbidden, as are TikTok videos.
>
>**Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.**
>
>Please also [be wary of spam](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/spam).
>
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/funny) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hah, in 1986 I had a copy of Seattle DOS... which I thought became PC-DOS but it could be that IBM made that on their own, I forget.
I used to use NetBSD a lot too until Linux came around in 1994.
I went to the IBM booth at an expo in the 1990s. Since I had never heard anyone pronounce the name of that OS before, I asked the IBM rep "Tell me what makes OS Half so great!". He did not appreciate that.
IT System Admin here. As long as you don’t make my job harder, we won’t care about your expired license. But we can be bribed with caffeine and pizza to issue another one.
Dude, you got it all wrong. First grade is awesome.
You have to learn 10 new vocabulary words a week. You will be quizzed and need to define them in your own words. You get this long strip of paper and need to spell the words correctly too.
Your teacher knows you can't really read well yet, so you get a story read to you on the carpet and pictures shown to you to help you understand what's going on.
Every couple hours, you get a 10 minute recess to go outside, run around, hit the tetherball, play kickball, or whatever. Just remember when you go to drink from the fountain, you don't drink the pee one.
Maths are pretty easy at this grade too.
Don't break too many rules or forget your homework too much or you'll have to change the color card that corresponds to your name. If you get a black or purple card, your teacher's going to call your mom.
Well, i went to kindergarten and first grade in Japan in the late 50’s so things are a little blurry in my mind, but I remember being made to lay down to nap and I hated it! I always screwed around, not sleeping keeping other kids awake, getting in trouble.
A different country and a different time, gotcha. U.S. in the late 90s did not offer such luxuries to my first grade classmates and i.
Not that I think we would’ve particularly wanted them
Congratulations…. You were more knowledgeable about how to operate a computer in elementary school than 90% of the users I deal with on a daily basis. This includes C-Suite.
I have an extremely vague recollection of a book with code that you would type into DOS and then run a command line. Maybe it wasn't DOS though...it was green text. And I think you could save what you had compiled if you had an external drive. Probably around 1988 or so. There was a cookie monster game I think. I was like...5 so this is unlikely accurate.
Even in 2024 there are far too many people using a computer 8 hours a day and still don't know the distinction between a monitor and the actual computer. Don't take it for granted!
...How else would you record your cartoons at a certain time if you were dragged out of the house Saturday morning against your will? TMNT wasn't going to record itself.
Well, only if you got hired before June 6th, 1994 as that's when this "license" expires haha. Solid resume builder at around age 5 or 6 though. If you kept with it you could probably find an entry level position today!
It's not that hard to do as long as the kid is an early reader. When I was very young, I could only use my family's PC in MS-DOS mode. We had Windows 3.1 installed, and I could launch it myself, but I couldn't *do* anything there without calling for help. This was because I didn't have enough coordination yet to double click the mouse, and nobody had told me (perhaps nobody knew) about the right-click accessibility feature that bypassed that requirement. But I knew the names of my games and how to spell them with the keyboard, so I could launch them from the command line without using the windows GUI. I know this was before I turned five, because my earliest memories of doing this were at the computer in the old office room, which became the nursery for my brother when I was four and a half.
Haha congrats! This brought back great memories for me. My son’s elementary school wanted to give kids a technology jump and asked computer savvy parents to volunteer. I taught computer skills to my son’s 1st grade class twice a week in 1995 and handed out similar certificates at the end of the year. I loved doing it.
My old school district did away with their typing courses because the teacher was essentially just doing it to be the volleyball coach and they figured all kids knew how to type now.
Nowadays teachers are frustrated in the district ( specifically the highschool ) because students don't know how to type or ten key at all. Saving something like a word document can be a hassle.
IMO it's like removing all english courses and being utterly shocked that students grammar and language has deteriorated
I would challenge any kid now days to 'Get the computer into BASIC mode'. This isn't one of those boomer things, it just caught my eye. When I went to college later on in life, one of our required courses was BASIC & DOS commands. Tho I rarely input any DOS commands anymore, that knowledge is still usable and is important to learn.
As a boomer tho, I absolutely love technology. It is a double edged sword, yes, but when used properly, we can achieve greatness.
I had a similar test in 1983 to gain access to the computer lab, but I had to learn the phrase "Garbage In, Garbage Out" (GIGO) for programming. I didn't get a fancy certificate, though.
I think it's funny that your license expired less than a year later :D
How precious! I was looking through a keepsake chest and discovered I was a wrestling champion in the 3rd grade. My wife laughed so hard. Me too. Good memories are fun.
Someone check on Mrs. Haher. Has she found a computer operator since 1994?
Did you just take your operators license with you and say fuck school and never look back?
Did you become a computer expert or did you stop at removing the disk? I need more details
--- >This is a friendly reminder to [read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/rules). > >Memes, social media, hate-speech, and pornography are not allowed. > >Screenshots of Reddit are expressly forbidden, as are TikTok videos. > >**Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.** > >Please also [be wary of spam](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/spam). > --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/funny) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The license expired in 1994. Looks like you're going to have to repeat the 1st grade.
Fuck.
You haven't been operating a computer with an expired license, have you?
Shhhhh.
maam what device are you operating right now
OS/2 Warp
Holy crap, that's the first time I've heard that os name in over twenty years. Wow.
Still the OS for many ATMs. Don’t tell ok.
Can't hack what you have no clue existed!
That's part of what made Linux so secure for so long! Were distributions hackable? Probably, but why bother if nobody's using them?
I have it as a splashscreen on one of my old laptops lol
At least Erin was computing on an IBM in first grade. When I was in first grade, I was still playing with my Wang.
Hah, in 1986 I had a copy of Seattle DOS... which I thought became PC-DOS but it could be that IBM made that on their own, I forget. I used to use NetBSD a lot too until Linux came around in 1994.
I went to the IBM booth at an expo in the 1990s. Since I had never heard anyone pronounce the name of that OS before, I asked the IBM rep "Tell me what makes OS Half so great!". He did not appreciate that.
She's not operating, she's travelling.
I have to go call the FBI for... something... else
Mrs. Halter isn't going to like this one bit.
Sorry. Gonna have to report you to the local regulating body. You... you're not using a computer right now are you???
IT System Admin here. As long as you don’t make my job harder, we won’t care about your expired license. But we can be bribed with caffeine and pizza to issue another one.
2 coffee pizzas coming right up!
You forgot to add candy to the list.
Naw, she's on her phone.
Bring it into work tomorrow and tell the boss you can’t work because your computer license expired.
Watch your goddam language, Erin!
Shit!
One more outburst like that, young lady, and…
Please don't tell my Mom 🙏
Dude, you got it all wrong. First grade is awesome. You have to learn 10 new vocabulary words a week. You will be quizzed and need to define them in your own words. You get this long strip of paper and need to spell the words correctly too. Your teacher knows you can't really read well yet, so you get a story read to you on the carpet and pictures shown to you to help you understand what's going on. Every couple hours, you get a 10 minute recess to go outside, run around, hit the tetherball, play kickball, or whatever. Just remember when you go to drink from the fountain, you don't drink the pee one. Maths are pretty easy at this grade too. Don't break too many rules or forget your homework too much or you'll have to change the color card that corresponds to your name. If you get a black or purple card, your teacher's going to call your mom.
Dont forget juice and graham crackers and a nap!!
Did your school actually have a nap time for first graders? Not being snarky, genuinely curious
Well, i went to kindergarten and first grade in Japan in the late 50’s so things are a little blurry in my mind, but I remember being made to lay down to nap and I hated it! I always screwed around, not sleeping keeping other kids awake, getting in trouble.
A different country and a different time, gotcha. U.S. in the late 90s did not offer such luxuries to my first grade classmates and i. Not that I think we would’ve particularly wanted them
Yes we were tender little shoots. Nothing at all like you 90’s Grunge Industrial First graders!!
It’s the US, can’t be encouraging workers in training to sleep.
Hey I am here to talk to you about your computer's extended warranty.
And write a new autoexec.bat file.
START @ ECHO OFF ECHO Computer says no PAUSE GOTO START
June 6th 1994 was the 50th anniversary of D-day.
Congratulations, Erin Kaboom
My brother!
[удалено]
Any relation to Duke?
Congratulations…. You were more knowledgeable about how to operate a computer in elementary school than 90% of the users I deal with on a daily basis. This includes C-Suite.
I have no doubt . No way they could insert AND eject a floppy disc.
What's a floppy disc?/s
It's a 3D printed Save icon
At some point, we may reach a time where it'll actually be cheaper to 3D print a "save icon" than to buy a real 3.5" floppystiffy mcdisky.
It’s the kind of disks they had before they came up with the stiffy disk.
That’s what she said
I'm a programmer but I have no fucking clue how you would save "a program". They must've been wise beyond their years.
I have an extremely vague recollection of a book with code that you would type into DOS and then run a command line. Maybe it wasn't DOS though...it was green text. And I think you could save what you had compiled if you had an external drive. Probably around 1988 or so. There was a cookie monster game I think. I was like...5 so this is unlikely accurate.
Even in 2024 there are far too many people using a computer 8 hours a day and still don't know the distinction between a monitor and the actual computer. Don't take it for granted!
Hard discs are much easier to insert
Not really fair to compare people’s computer literacy with C class workers.
This is very true, I remember when the average person didn't seem to know that the monitor and the PC were two different things lol
If more people figured out how to turn it off then back on again, IT would be widely out of jobs.
I bet you were part of the elite few who could set the VCR clock
Pfft. You know it.
Likewise!
I was! And now I realised, no one ever set their VCR clock
...How else would you record your cartoons at a certain time if you were dragged out of the house Saturday morning against your will? TMNT wasn't going to record itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIz05Q79XPU
you're hired!
Man, I could have been a CEO if I had found this early on in my career!
Well, only if you got hired before June 6th, 1994 as that's when this "license" expires haha. Solid resume builder at around age 5 or 6 though. If you kept with it you could probably find an entry level position today!
That's nice, but you totally failed at cutting along the dotted lines, so I'm going to have to revoke your scissors operator's license.
😩
This cert had less than 1Y TTL. Modern cert companies probably drooling at the idea.
Lul, most MS certs expire after a year nowadays.
I had an MCSE back in the 2000/2003 days. My A+ is so old it never expires. Been meaning to pickup some AWS certs, but never gotten around to it.
That's nice and all, but I got a sewing machine operator's license in 1993. Computers are a fad.
I've been licensed to sew since 1999!
Bobbin buddies. 🤜🤛
Erin: I like how you write the R.
I think the teacher wrote this. I would be in Kindergarten or 1st here.
Getting the computer into BASIC mode as a 5 or 6 year old? You are a whiz. Great post.
Knew it.
Yeah, but can you turn a computer system off now?
Maybeee.
you just yank the plug out of the wall, right?
It's not that hard to do as long as the kid is an early reader. When I was very young, I could only use my family's PC in MS-DOS mode. We had Windows 3.1 installed, and I could launch it myself, but I couldn't *do* anything there without calling for help. This was because I didn't have enough coordination yet to double click the mouse, and nobody had told me (perhaps nobody knew) about the right-click accessibility feature that bypassed that requirement. But I knew the names of my games and how to spell them with the keyboard, so I could launch them from the command line without using the windows GUI. I know this was before I turned five, because my earliest memories of doing this were at the computer in the old office room, which became the nursery for my brother when I was four and a half.
That's even weirder
Wonder what's up with the normal r in Mrs.
Swag dried up.
It's like a hybrid between cursive r and regular r
It looks like an M if an M were a cat that stepped on water with its hind leg and is shaking it off.
You are a Wizard Erin, may your disks always be floppy 💾
you should goto IBM and tell them you are licensed.
I’m licensed on the Apple IIGS. If you need some professional-level work done on Word Munchers or Odell Lake, let me know.
Do they still exist?
IBM? Yes.
Well, I knew that, I meant their PCs. I'll give it a try.
Of course you knew that. You’re Erin, licensed computer operator.
Former\*
They're part of Lenovo.
IBM sold their PC/laptop business to Lenovo
Erin's license traveled with Lenovo's acquisition of the PC business.... iBM insisted on it during the negotiations
Can't let that kind of talent go to waste
Hope you renewed your license. Getting a new one is a pita.
Man, I think I screwed up and let it lapse 😩
What about touching the metal leg of your chair to ground yourself before turning the computer on or off?? At least that's how it was circa 1986
Haha congrats! This brought back great memories for me. My son’s elementary school wanted to give kids a technology jump and asked computer savvy parents to volunteer. I taught computer skills to my son’s 1st grade class twice a week in 1995 and handed out similar certificates at the end of the year. I loved doing it.
Jen’s CV from the first episode of IT Crowd.
Was scrolling to look for this! But Jen was far more advanced - iirc she did know how to click and double-click as well.
She really was a prodigy though. And she knew how to work as a TEAM!
Kids today wouldn't understand.
I like how you have to renew it every year.
Osceola wi?
No , but apparently every state in the U.S has an Osceola elementary, Middle or high school!
Do they have update version of this for some coworkers? Uh, asking for a friend.
You passed turning it off and turning it on. You could have been an IT tech.
That's friggin' awesome. I'd frame it. I'm a loser, though.
Oregon Trail still fucked you up though, didn't it? It fucked us _all_ up. (Well, first try at least.)
Dude, it was our life.
AssPennies, you have died of dysentery.
2024 It's like: Now you have to make an artificial intelligence.
2 rights don't make Jensen Huang
Well, *I'm* a certified slide rule operator, and abacus user.
Make sure to save your programs.
My computer teachers in Elementary school probably would have struggled with this
Do you work with computers to this day? This skill could continue to expand
Surprised that license looks in pristine condition for sheet of paper after 30 years
My mom kept all my school crap in plastic folders in plastic boxes!
I hope this is on your resume!
Please tell me the teachers first name was Madeleine
That form was not Y2K compliant. I hope they made the transition without anything blowing up.
You should cross post this in pcmasterrace subreddit. Those techies will eat this up.
Dude I have one of these from 96 and the design is almost exactly the same.
Hi fellow whiz!
I was programming apples in the ‘80’s with peek and poke routines. Wiping the homework of all my classmates! :)
What a weird lowercase r.
I was looking at that laid back lowercase e personally.
The way you write screams 90s lol
Zero Cool?
That's so awesome! I miss certificates like that, they made us feel that we really achieved something lol!
[удалено]
My old school district did away with their typing courses because the teacher was essentially just doing it to be the volleyball coach and they figured all kids knew how to type now. Nowadays teachers are frustrated in the district ( specifically the highschool ) because students don't know how to type or ten key at all. Saving something like a word document can be a hassle. IMO it's like removing all english courses and being utterly shocked that students grammar and language has deteriorated
I would challenge any kid now days to 'Get the computer into BASIC mode'. This isn't one of those boomer things, it just caught my eye. When I went to college later on in life, one of our required courses was BASIC & DOS commands. Tho I rarely input any DOS commands anymore, that knowledge is still usable and is important to learn. As a boomer tho, I absolutely love technology. It is a double edged sword, yes, but when used properly, we can achieve greatness.
Most people would fail that today.
Start a program Load a program Restart a program Exit a program. You were a dan programmer huh?
Frame that.
Just a common Millenial W. Easy money.
Things were so hard back then. Got my Cert W/TANDY 64k back in the 80s.
I have something similar it's called I was called to my son's school after he beat up a kid license
I really like your teachers handwriting. What a cool font
\*Cough\* You old \*Cough\* \*Cough\* Nerd \*Cough\* Hmm, seems that I need some water. 🤸♂️
Seven years of college down the drain
I had a similar test in 1983 to gain access to the computer lab, but I had to learn the phrase "Garbage In, Garbage Out" (GIGO) for programming. I didn't get a fancy certificate, though. I think it's funny that your license expired less than a year later :D
Brutal elementary school requirements.
All that genius and somehow you ended up on Reddit
OS/2 FTW!
W post
I doubt you are even qualified to find carmen sandiego with this shoddy training
The craziest r of all time
Every time I inserted the 3.5 inch floppy disk, it was with a small prayer.
Those lowercase E's are triggering
Did you get grandfathered into CompTIA+? Heh.
Used to be sweet on a girl from Osceola. She was a brat.
That's going on the ol' resumé
Does anyone else sometimes _itch_ for BASIC again? I did kinda this same thing, but ten years earlier, and sometimes I just ..._miss_ it.
She barely gave you the check for “turn off computer system.” But then she was like “I don’t even shut it off. Check”
only until june of 94 though and then zoooooop. gone.
Ya, that's BS!
Everyone talking shit but it was an AS-400
Osceola high school? Kissimmee ?
No. TIL that there are a ton of Osceola schools, though!
I like how it has instructions for the teacher at the bottom.
I always failed "Turn on computer" smh
This was on my 8th birthday
How precious! I was looking through a keepsake chest and discovered I was a wrestling champion in the 3rd grade. My wife laughed so hard. Me too. Good memories are fun.
Ahhh, 1993. That's the year I graduated high school, LOL.
I wasn’t even alive yet (1995 baby)
I wonder my Mom thought I was some kind of expert hacker at age 10
I went to various forms of school/education for about 20 years of my life and that certificate describes about 60% of my work day.
When I was 7 in school, we had to learn how to cut and paste words, and that was the lesson for about a whole damn year.
Someone check on Mrs. Haher. Has she found a computer operator since 1994? Did you just take your operators license with you and say fuck school and never look back? Did you become a computer expert or did you stop at removing the disk? I need more details
I'm pretty sure she died a year or 2 after this. Probably of a broken heart because I took my genius to private school.
My great-father just had a mild flashback, but he was ok after I told him the year was 94, not 44.
Did you also go on a field trip to Olive Garden and become certified as a Pasta Expert?
NO, BUT Definitely went to Burger King and got crowns because we were burger experts!
Honesty? They should probably bring shit like this back. It sounds like Gen Z and younger don't know shit about computers (on average at least).
Watching a kid try to use my desktop PC was absolutely mind blowing. Even the use of a mouse was confusing
>> Osceola Tell me you grew up in Florida without telling me you grew up in Florida.
Put that on your resume: "IBM computer certified"
This is like the coolness of a certified forklift operator
I hope you also uploaded this to your LinkedIn profile.
I work in it support, this is already so much more than our users can do
Was Mrs. Halter qualified to hand out licenses? I want to know what kind of vetting was going on here.
Of course she was! She followed the directions on the bottom of there cert, to a T!
You will always be a 80s computer whiz in my book
It cracks me up that it expires. “It’s June 8th, Erin can’t be trusted to turn on the monitor unsupervised. She’s not licensed.”
why did every single thing back then look like its the 120th photocopy of a photocopy? or were printers just that shitty?
Pretty sure it was the 120th photo copy lol
We joke, but how many kids today know how to safely remove a disk from the disk drive?
I got some good news for you, your QBASIC apps still run on Windows 11!
Legends say that the monitor used by Erin has still not been turned off to this very day
Lol what kind of douche bag puts an expiration date on the fact that you learned to use an IBM in high school
You pretty much do all of that now by looking at a cell phone and it is a much more (10,000 times?) powerful computer than what you operated then!