- September 12, 2024
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For the past two years, one local man has made it his mission help people become confident in today's age of technology.
Smartphones. Smart TVs. Smart home devices.
There are people who are afraid of them, said Scott Spearin, business owner of the Tech Tutor. So, he set out to change that.
"There's no education," Spearin said. "There's no help for a huge mass of people who are struggling."
Spearin worked for AT&T and Spectrum for several years and the inspiration for the Tech Tutor came from a customer. The woman had upgraded her flip phone to her first smartphone, and she came into his store not knowing how to use it.
"She said, 'I don't want to bother you with my phone questions, I just want to pay my bill and get out of here.'" Spearin recalled. "At that very moment, her phone rang and I watched this lady have a full-blown panic attack in front of me."
That day, Spearin went home and googled "smartphone tutor." He didn't find what he was looking for.
So Spearin decided to quit his job and become that tutor. This month, he was recognized by the Quality Business Awards as the 2024 best tutoring service in Edgewater, where the Ormond Beach native was living when he first launched his business.
The Tech Tutor services all of Volusia County and has helped almost 1,500 people. Spearin offers one-on-one lessons, online support and group training sessions for smart devices, tech support and scam prevention.
Not only are there people struggling with new technology, there's also others who are struggling to convert from the analog to the digital, Spearin said.
"Everything is paperless," he said. "Everything is online portals. Everything is self-service and there's so many people that are not confident in their technological skills to function in today's day and age."
There's a lot of fear surrounding this, and Spearin said he wants to change that.
"All I use is organic ingredients that people have stopped using: Love, patience, kindness," he said.
On the first Tuesday of every month, Spearin leads "Tech Tuesday" at Ormond in the Pines, where he leads a group session on topics ranging from online shopping to scam awareness and internet safety.
He also teaches at local senior centers and 55 and up communities.
He said he wants to be the missing piece in helping people's quality of life.
"I've taught 13-year-old kids how to use their iPads at Panera, using Pages and Keynote and things like that, and I've taught a lady that was 105 years old who got her first iPad," Spearin said.
You may not need the Tech Tutor very often, but when you do, Spearin wants the community to know he's available.
"You don't need me every day, you don't need me every week, but eventually, some people need a refresher course every few months," he said. "They need a new printer hooked up. They just got a new TV. They want to cut the cable bill. They want to know their options."
Visit thetechtutor.com.
