Just watching the latest edition of Diggnation on the train, and they are talking about a post on Digg detailing the top 10 problems with being a “computer guy”.
I sat here nodding my head as they became more and more annoyed relating their stories - the same stories that most people who work in the IT field share.
There are several common situations;
- You attend a party, and while the circle of people are talking about what each other does, it crops up that you are a professional software developer. There is a silence as everybody suddenly takes notice, followed by a bombardment of questions about viruses. Several of the people will confidently spout bullshit as they describe supposed solutions in order to “contribute” to the discussion. You cannot speak up because you will have to trample on their new found kudos. You know you will end up being asked to look at a computer before the night is out. 2. You go to visit family or friends, and their opening line of conversation as you walk in the door is “the computer has gone wrong - I need you to look at it”. Your good nature is then tested as you discover they have installed every free piece of software in the history of the universe, and most of their software is pirated. 3. Your friends come to visit you and bring their computer with them - expecting in advance that you will wave a magic wand.
You are expected to perform all of the above for free. People instantly forget that you are hired out from work for something in the region of 100 pounds (200 dollars) an hour. From recent experience when an ancient laptop arrived at home, it took 4 hours to reinstall it, update it, secure and configure it. Imagine asking for more than most people earn in a week for that. You will be exected to do it for nothing. Even if you charge a minimal amount - say the equivalent of 50 dollars an hour - a few hours adds up to half the price of the hardware.
The really annoying thing is that people imagine you have nothing better to do. Perhaps when I am asked to fix a computer, I should give them 4 hours worth of ironing to do in return? It’s totally fair - you are spending hours doing something that is of absolutely no benefit to you. Hours you could have spent with your family.