Due to a lack of awareness, I made some tech mistakes as a teenager that still haunt me.
Looking back, I realize they could have easily been avoided.
I had separate accounts for school, social media, gaming, and more.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
When I moved to college, I created yet another account.
Little did I know that managing these accounts would become a nightmare.
It became hard to remember and track which email was linked to specific online accounts.
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If I could go back, I would havestarted using a password managerearly on.
This would have saved me from the hassle of resetting passwords repeatedly and improved my overall security.
I frequently logged into personal accounts on public devices without properly logging out afterward.
I often neglected toclear my browsing history and cache, leaving behind account credentials.
Although I didn’t face serious issues because of this, my carelessness surely exposed me to security risks.
I used a single laptop to store all my college project files and other important documents.
Unfortunately, I also didn’t partition my drive properly.
One morning, my laptop wouldn’t turn on due to an OS-related issue.
I had to reinstall Windows on the only drive that held all my data, resulting in its loss.
Regularly backing up my data would have saved me from losing those important files and cherished memories.
I would often continue using social media even when I had an exam the next day.
My days were disorganized, and I wasted precious years of my life.
Nowadays, I rarely use social media and manage my time more effectively when I do.
I wish I had practiced this discipline earlier in life.
Although I had a warranty, the company went bankrupt in two years, rendering it useless.
I was hesitant to explore other operating systems, thinking they would be challenging to learn and adapt to.
This fear prevented me from experiencing the additional benefits they offer over Windows.
Looking back, I should have been more open to experimenting with different operating systems.
Doing so would likely have led me to switch from Windows to macOS or Linux much earlier.
I used weak passwords and didn’t enable two-factor authentication to protect them.
Now, I understand that this simple step could have prevented my accounts from being compromised.
These are mistakes I regret and would undo if I could travel back in time.
If you’re starting your tech journey, I hope my experiences help you avoid these pitfalls.
