I am asked to do things that are very easy by friends and family all the time. I get very tired of doing these extremely simple computer tasks, they call me a “computer genius”, but I am not a genius I just read documentation.
Does anyone ever have this? I don’t know why nobody will try to fix their own problem or do a little reading, trial and error.
Things like, Install a printer. Plug in a USB stick. Download a photo. Boot to CD. Make a network, Change the screen resolution, etc. I get interrupted a lot to explain these things and my entire work flow goes to dirt.
Calling you a “genius” may be less ego bruising than saying “I’m a dummy”!
I help my brother with his computer from time to time. Lucky for me he’s willing to learn (he takes notes when he needs to), so I don’t have to cover the same ground.
I don’t mind helping others, but I learned something long ago about helping friends and family.
One weekend I had tentative plans to go to the beach. My mom asked me to fix the brakes on her car, so I did that instead. While I was fixing the brakes, they took my dad’s car and went to the beach!! Right there I decided to try saying not necessarily “no”, but “not yet”.
The point is, you don’t have to “jump”, help when it’s convenient for you. You will most likely find that they are understanding and won’t think any less of you. You do have a life too after all.
We all deal with computer numb skulls from time to time… it about levels of knowledge is all…
…even my fiancée now tells people to use OPERA So there’s progress out there …
Seriously, at work in a team of 15 people, I’m the “IT” whizz, and I couldn’t be further from that- except in my attitude towards software/learning, perhaps being a little more open to developing skills and such leads me into an advantage over everyday “non-compliant” folk.
Can’t get through to my mother though… still a technophobe no matter what I try!
So… yeah it drives me a bit nuts but there are some benefits - such as being sound in the knowledge that you do know, and can know, your ar$e from your elbow …
yes :agree: all the time - the frustrating thing to me is that, they have someone to ask there and then and will get an answer to their problem and get it solved and move on…whereas if i have a problem with my computer or something im working on i dont have anyone to ask there and then, well except here on SP but u get my drift…thats the most frustrating thing about it…
then u also have those who dont appreciate that u drop everything to help them out, obviously u do that once and thats it, but there are those who just dont care and say oh such and such will fix it again for me, is the wrong answer… so yeah that bugs me and i can totally relate to ur grievances!! :tup:
@[COLOR=#FF6600][B][/B][/COLOR]Mittineague - i totally agree with the “not yet” thing, this is excellent advice, i used to drop everything too to help out but now its yeah but when im ready to and its just so simple but took me a while to realise that
I know that feeling, your family treat you like a technical support number. The fact that no-one cept us professionals seem to understand trial and error, reading documentation, searching Google or just plain logic scares me to no end. I sometimes wonder if the web would be a better place if everyone who owned a PC had to get a license and pass a test, like driving a car, after all a computer in a silly persons hands can be pretty devastating.
Yep I know how you feel I’m always the one who has to fix the computer but when I’m like don’t download this or don’t do that because you will brake it there like shut up it’s my computer who made you boss but as soon as it brakes it’s Umm Daniel can you fix my computer.
I get that alot too, its like you are helping them and then when they think they know it all even though they dont its like whatever, its my pc as you said, people can be very funny and unfortunately predictable
my response/reaction to when their pc doesnt work and when they do run into problems is: i thought u said it was ur pc, so u go fix it, or i’ll taunt them for a while - make them suffer before i will fix it yeah i know… im sooo immature i dont care
Calling you a “genius” may be less ego bruising than saying “I’m a dummy”!
So there’s progress out there 
…
so yeah that bugs me and i can totally relate to ur grievances!! :tup:
