How often do friends/family call you for tech support?
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Re:Never (Score:5, Insightful)
Moving the family to OSX however did. That was 3 years ago and there has not been a single tech support issue since then.
The question is whether this is because they have no problems, or because they're reluctant to call the person who inflicted OSX on them.
Re:Never (Score:4, Insightful)
Database stuff (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's a little tip for those who don't want to deal with moochers: never tell people you work in "computers", "IT", or "support". Instead, tell them you do "database stuff". The difference is night and day. When the average person hears "IT", they immediately think "what can I get out of him?" and "is there anything I need?" On the contrary, when the average person hears "database stuff", they cringe and try to change the subject, since taking the conversation further means work for them. In the rare case they do press you further, simply get technical, further distancing yourself from that hopeful chance that you might know "something about computers".
This attitude of taking advantage of IT people stems from the fact that nobody (outside of IT) understands that IT is actual work. They view your position not as one of actual labor, but merely knowledge -- the only difference between you and them is that you know which buttons to push, and they don't. Therefore, fixing their computer is hardly even a "favor", merely a short pit stop in your continuous life of fixing computer problems.
You won't ever see a mechanic asked if he can perform an oil change free of charge. You won't ever see an electrician asked to "do a little clean up" in his spare time, outside of working hours. That's because the average person understands what these professionals actually do, and they can appreciate it. They don't, however, understand what IT work is, and therefore they will never appreciate it as "real work" deserving of "real respect".
Move 'em to Macs (Score:4, Insightful)
And then they discovered Apple
So yes - I'm a great fan on Apple Macs. Not for me, of course - wouldn't touch one with a bargepole. But for all the people who used to ring me