Let me preface this by saying that I am very new to cycling, so please forget me if I misuse some terminology

I just bought a used (older) bike for me and the only thing I don't like about it is that gear shifters are levers in the middle of the steering column. It makes switching gears somewhat uncomfortable, especially when riding on the streets.

I was wondering if it is possible (and doable by yourself) to install "finger shifters" on the bike and what, if anything, you could recommend about how to go about it.
FYI: my bicycle has drop handle bars, and I want to keep them because I found them quite comfortable.

Thanks in advance.

Try bar end shifters.

You need to post this in the mechanic's forum for better response. When you do, post the # of gears in the back and approx age of the bike and who made it. This will tell the guru's what you have and they'll know what will fit and work with it and they can tell you what you need to change in order to make your bike into what you want.

Otherwise we're shooting in the dark at bats. (Lots of fun but usually wide of the target)

yeah, bar end shifters are one way to go. to keep your drop handlebars, your only other options are to switch to shifters on the drop tube, which would be harder to reach for than the stem shifters, or an advanced shifterin the brake lever system like shimano equipted mid and high end road bikes have been useing for about the past 8 to 10years. this type lets you use little levers tucked under your brake levers to shift gears. like shimano 105, ultegra and dura ace for examples. you'd probably want a bike shop do the conversion for you.