Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen, Ph.D. are experts on what employers consider key skills in today's very competitive and often-times uncertain job market.

They list Computer/Technical Literacy near the top of the list. "Almost all jobs now require some basic understanding of computer hardware and software, especially word processing, spreadsheets, and email," according to the Hansen's.

I realized all this when I started Video Professor 21 years ago. And while we have so many lessons on everything from eBay to Digital Photography, people continue to realize how important it is for them to understand and harness the power of the productivity software on their office computer.

Office workerswho understand Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc are the ones who get noticed most at review time. Or even make it to review time.

We continue to be the most productive workers in the world. One reason why is computers. It remains important for all of us to maximize our computing skills.