So, when I was in high school, most of the boys were pushed into math and science classes. I also took AP Chemistry in high school and did quite well, easily earning an A in the class. I had followed the fast track for success every young man was pushed toward. As an afterthought, probably to fill out my schedule, I was signed up for typing. My teacher, Mrs. Light, was not very happy with my top speed of 19 words per minute but mercifully gave me a C+ as a parting gift. I think it also had something to do with being one of two boys in a class of 25.

Looking back I probably should have taken typing more seriously.

While I am excellent at the science questions in Trivial Pursuit (is that even a game anymore, I don’t remember a Nintendo version so probably not), and I don’t make a total fool of myself when answering my children’s science home work questions (Seriously son, Fe is the symbol for iron), my chemistry classes rarely come in handy. On the other hand, my 19 words a minute mean that it takes me over twice or three times as long to answer my e-mail as any of Mrs. Light’s less finger challenged pupils.

I recently entered a well regarded MBA program, and while I am very pleased with the curriculum so far, I have wondered many times if my time might have been better spent taking a keyboarding class and a Microsoft Outlook primer course to cut 3 hours out of my e-mail intensive business day. It certainly would have been $35,000 cheaper.

So, while it was thought to be sexist (and I’m sure it was), by a whole generation of women my age, not to be pushed into the sciences or math, they are actually better prepared for the business world today than I am. Unfortunately, by the time I bring my typing up to speed, all written communication will be by texting, which makes even less sense to me.