Misconceptions about my trade

The BBQ Pit
1

Why does everyone I know seem to think that 'cause I’m an EE that I can repair tv’s,videos, computors, car electrics including engine managements systems(sometimes), hifi units, shavers, mixers, blenders, dishwashers, shavers, rewire houses, do live 11kv cable jointing, generators, industrial air-con, chillers boilers, hydraulic machines, that I know all about compasses, radar, flourescant lights, telephones, studio sound equipment yadda yadda yadda…you get the idea.

[sup]even if I can[/sup]

Hey the electrical/electronic game is one of the laregest industries in the world, some of it resembles the black arts, especially when it comes to aerials, and communication, some of it is like plumbing when it comes to waveguides, some of it is closer to building construction.
And why do I have to shift an old disused cable that weighs 22.3 oodles just because it has copper in it ?

Yet folk seem to think that when the magic word electricity is involved that I automatically know all about it and don’t have to look things up.

“What do you mean you don’t know, what kind of electrician(never technician!) are you?”

…and they all want me to “do them a favour” in my own time and cheaper than they get paid themselves, and can they do me a favour in return?

Can they bollocks!!

They left school to work on a production line for the quick money and a dead-end job while I took shite apprentice wages did night school, adult education university part-time while holding down a full time job and they want to pay me the same money as they get or less?

WELL SOD OFF!!

Sunday morning tearing my back apart drilling a cable channel out of concrete with a bigass electric Kango drill is not my idea of a day off.

…and now I can’t sit, stand, lie down, cough…oh and my back is killing me.
No wonder I ran away and joined the circus (prison service)

2

Hey—my father was an electronics engineer, back in the '50s and '60s! He was very frustrated that he was too old to have gotten in on the ground floor of the computer revolution. Spent my childhood around oscilloscopes and such-like.

My, I’m a writer—so whenever I have a book come out, I get, “Oooh, can’t wait to read it—send me a copy!” Yeah. Right. I barely break even as it is . . .

3

I empathize, casdave. I used to have family and friends crawling out of the woodwork asking me to look into their computer problems. I either told them to call tech support or said that I had no idea about their issue enough times that they eventually stopped.

Of course, the downside is that I’ve probably been written out of about three wills.

4

So which one’s the live wire again?

5

Oh boy, do I ever know what you mean.

All my friends are always telling me, “Demo, come over to my house and inject me with radioactive tracers!” or “Demo, would you please ablate my thyroid next Saturday?”.

Sheesh, it’s like they’re just using me, I swear!
Oh, speaking of…hey, Dave, I keep getting static in my telephone. Could you come over on Sunday and check it out for me?

<g>

On a serious note, I always make it a point not to ask favors of my friends who have actual useful jobs like Dave unless I have them nice and liquored up.

Ok, so maybe I am incapable of being serious today.

6

I thought you were a prison guard. I don’t know why, I just seem to remember reading it somewhere.

7

Yep, I simpathize. I’m a computer programmer, and everytime (it seems like) someone hears this, they have some computer problem that needs to be fixed.

Apparently they missed the part where I said I write programs, not support other people’s program’s. Sheesh.

btw, can you fix my TV? :wink:

8

Notice the last line in his OP? He is a prison guard now.

Anyways, I think it’s the same as the people who assume that I can fix computers because I’m studying computer science. No, they don’t teach us how every goddam piece of software works. If I wanted to have people bug me with their stupid Windows problems, I’d take an MCSE course and earn good money for it. What I do know is how to program and the theory behind it. Discrete finite automata have fuckall to do with why your damn scanner won’t scan.

The other thing is that everyone seems to know that whatever problem they have is really easy to solve, but have no idea how to do so. Why is it that they think they know better than me how hard the problem is to solve, but still want my percieved expertise? If you’re not going to believe me, why do you want my help? Oh, yeah, because it’s free.

I’m really just referring to my family here. Most everyone else I associate with at least can find someone who actually does know how to do what they need done.

9

So I guess having you over to help me with a service upgrade and convert to an undergound secondary is off, right?

:rolleyes: :slight_smile:

10

Well that was really dumb because the 50s and 60s WERE the ground floor of the computer revolution.

11

I’m a computer geek and they keep asking me at work to fix the fax machine. And the copy machine. And pretty much everything that beeps.

What part of “computer” don’t you understand?? And as for people at parties, family gatherings, etc cornering me and asking computer questions, I’ve taken to covering my ears and yelling “LA LA LA LA LA- I’m NOT LISTENING!!!”

You would be amazed at how well that works.

Zette

12

[quote]

Notice the last line in his OP? He is a prison guard now

[quote]

DOH! That’s what I get for skim reading. sorry.

13

“Well that was really dumb because the 50s and 60s WERE the ground floor of the computer revolution.”

—No it was NOT “really dumb,” because my father was trained in the 1940s and was a working, middle-aged man in the '50s and '60s, and too fucking OLD to get in on that “ground floor” you seem to think it’s so fucking easy to breeze into.

. . . “Really dumb.” Yeah. He’s the guy who worked on the backpacks that went to the moon in '69.

14

Chas.E,

Does it even occur to you that it’s possible for you to go day-to-day without being a complete prick?

15

Amen!

16

As a person (formerly) working on my doctorate in American History, I found that jerky people liked to “test” me. “Name the vice presidents in order! You can’t? I thought you said you were a studying for your doctorate in history.” I look that kind of stuff up in a book, just like everyone else. You want me to explain the economic, social, and technological significance of the Erie Canal? That I can do. But I really don’t want to do it right now in the middle of this party, you know?

FYI, casdave: There’s no such thing as a prison guard in the U.S. But we have plenty of corrections officers. :slight_smile:

17

Frickin’ tell me about it. I’m a Comp. Sci. major also (although specializing in hardware w/ minor in software) and all my friends are like my computers broke come fix it! Or my ex’s dad was always like my computers broke come fix it (he lived 2 hours away). Sorry people I’m not doing this shit for free to help you because you know what you’ve never helped me out. Oh well screw it at least I can fix my own computer problems…

18

Although I’m a prison officer I’m not a guard in the true sense of the word.

I’m an instructional officer, that is, I try to teach trade skills but the reality is that I keep the dearies busy working all day in low skill work.
From what I can gather most of our jails in the UK are rather differant to US jails, we don’t have anything like the gang element and cons are usually fairly compliant, usually just passing their time.

Chas E was that really necessary ?

19

Ooooh, now I’m feeling a little guilty for over-reacting to Chas. E . . . Shall I call off my Loyal Attack Dopers?

20

Paging jarbabyj, jarbabyj we have a band name in Aisle 5!