Consumer Electronics Home PC help

[Scotland]

You could not do 'Geeks 2 you' type work without at least a fair amount of computer knowledge.
Call a plumber to change a washer and their time costs as much as if you get them to install a new septic tank.

Call a plumber and you should be getting a licensed professional. Call an IT guy and you could be getting someone with a degree and 20 years experience or a high school student with a part time job. 'Geeks 2 U' type IT businesses are kind of like handymen. They do a bit of everything. Rarely will someone who is a qualified electrician do odd home and garden jobs because there is more demand for their specific skill set.

Any job that people find 'beyond them' commands a premium.
Its only jobs people consider 'beneath them' that pay SFA. Which is terribly unfair as cleaning etc. would be an absolute campaigner of a job and deserves a better paycheck.

If you have the skills then I would recommend stop complaining about people making a mint and start competing with them.

There's a spectrum. Neurosurgeons get paid a lot more than $180/hr compared to time actually spent doing brain surgery. You're paying for a highly refined skill that probably only tens of people can do in this country. People also pay $100/hr (give or take) for carpenters, plumbers etc. who carry tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment around but the same for tilers who rock up with a bucket and a trowel. And then people pay for dog walkers, personal trainers etc. There's a premium in convenience as well as skill.

When I was a kid the old man mowed the lawn and cleaned the pool, and when I was old enough I was roped in. The idea that someone would come to do those jobs never occurred. These days plenty of people pay a local Jim or equivalent to come and do it. Not huge money in it but if you build up a customer base you can make a decent living doing stuff that anyone could do if they weren't lazy.

 

[Neese]

You would have to pay me more than $180 to spend an hour explaining anything computer related to old people.

This is a fair bit of my job in the public library. Oddly enough I like it.

 

[William Wonka]

Call a plumber and you should be getting a licensed professional. Call an IT guy and you could be getting someone with a degree and 20 years experience or a high school student with a part time job. 'Geeks 2 U' type IT businesses are kind of like handymen. They do a bit of everything. Rarely will someone who is a qualified electrician do odd home and garden jobs because there is more demand for their specific skill set.



There's a spectrum. Neurosurgeons get paid a lot more than $180/hr compared to time actually spent doing brain surgery. You're paying for a highly refined skill that probably only tens of people can do in this country. People also pay $100/hr (give or take) for carpenters, plumbers etc. who carry tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment around but the same for tilers who rock up with a bucket and a trowel. And then people pay for dog walkers, personal trainers etc. There's a premium in convenience as well as skill.

When I was a kid the old man mowed the lawn and cleaned the pool, and when I was old enough I was roped in. The idea that someone would come to do those jobs never occurred. These days plenty of people pay a local Jim or equivalent to come and do it. Not huge money in it but if you build up a customer base you can make a decent living doing stuff that anyone could do if they weren't lazy.

All very true.
Something is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it.

When I have done things in a vaugely similar vein in years gone by I was always in demand.
Not because I was better at the job (I was average at best) nor because I was cheaper (the opposite in fact- I always charged more than the competition).
People loved me because I came when they needed me and arrived EXACTLY when I said I would.
The OP said the bloke was a really nice guy.
Maybe thats worth the extra $50 odd bucks to a lot of people.

 

[William Wonka]

This is a fair bit of my job in the public library. Oddly enough I like it.

Librarians are normally lovely, patient, and helpful people.
Im an impatient campaigner.

 

[Xtreme]

Librarians are normally lovely, patient, and helpful people.
Im an impatient campaigner.

You'll be waiting an eternity for the Catters to win another premiership

/ZINGGGG

#noflagsDanger

 

[William Wonka]

You'll be waiting an eternity for the Catters to win another premiership

/ZINGGGG

#noflagsDanger

This isnt the bay so I will refrain from calling you a ******* ******** **** with a **** for a **** and a ******* stuck squarely up your ****.

 

[Neese]

I work with some cranky people. Customers usually avoid them. I was chatting to an 80 year old guy today. He was awesome.

 

[William Wonka]

I work with some cranky people. Customers usually avoid them. I was chatting to an 80 year old guy today. He was awesome.

I like old folks.
Just not explaining technology to them.

 

[Neese]

Haha, I wouldn't want to explain it to my Mum, she's stubborn and doesn't listen.

 

[Taylor]

The economy is supposed to reward stepping into vacuums of demand with high pay, then the others see the reward and join in.

Pretty soon they are competing with each other for the customers and their prices fall.

I'm amazed none of these boomers have used their self managed super funds to buy a little business name and charge out their grandchildren to other old people to put shortcuts on the desktop.

My experience with IT is that if you have to explain it then it's too complicated and instantly switches the person off, but the promise of "I'll make it work and you don't need to know how" is super high in demand.

That's from watching the older people deal with IT department staff.