Why I love PCs (not what you think)
Today I finished another PC repair job that brought in $170 net. Not bad for only ~3 hours of work (minor labour, and clicking buttons). Mind you I am a highschool student so this is really a lot of cash in my eyes.
You see, I love PCs for many reasons but the one I want to touch apon today is because so many people don't know jack about them.
I fix and build PCs for extra pocket change... and if it was not for how poorly they are made, cheap parts, and a hard to master OS I would be out of the job. Today, I worked on a ECS BookPC (smallish, perpriotary,733 Celeron) and it's powersupply was the problem. Now, because the powersupply is only made by one company (it is a special shape) the replacement would cost around USD$100 + shipping. I told my client that for that money she could just gut the old PC and get a (*new*) case/powersupply/motherboard/RAM. She was sold. The final bill was CDN$275 and she has a much faster computer. She is happy, I am happy.
And what makes her even more happy is that I am going to give her a "free" lesson on how to keep her computer in top working order which includes cleaning out dust and keeping spyware out. I say "free" because I charged for it with the bill.
In the end... I love PCs, because they are keeping me from needing a real job.
P.S. Oh and I do fix Macs too... but not as often.
You see, I love PCs for many reasons but the one I want to touch apon today is because so many people don't know jack about them.
I fix and build PCs for extra pocket change... and if it was not for how poorly they are made, cheap parts, and a hard to master OS I would be out of the job. Today, I worked on a ECS BookPC (smallish, perpriotary,733 Celeron) and it's powersupply was the problem. Now, because the powersupply is only made by one company (it is a special shape) the replacement would cost around USD$100 + shipping. I told my client that for that money she could just gut the old PC and get a (*new*) case/powersupply/motherboard/RAM. She was sold. The final bill was CDN$275 and she has a much faster computer. She is happy, I am happy.
And what makes her even more happy is that I am going to give her a "free" lesson on how to keep her computer in top working order which includes cleaning out dust and keeping spyware out. I say "free" because I charged for it with the bill.
In the end... I love PCs, because they are keeping me from needing a real job.
P.S. Oh and I do fix Macs too... but not as often.
Comments
I can understand why you love them, if they net that kind of cash for you. What I wouldn't do for nearly $200 to work on computers. I could do it, but I know I don't have the knowledge that you do about them.
Just make sure that when you fix the computers, tell them that they wouldn't be having that problem if they got Mac. But, that would cut down on your business...hmmmm.
Why? You might ask... (it is an easy way to lose money)
Well, because for one I have never been able to get someone to switch... so I will be at unrest untill I do. And for two, while I will not make money on labour, I will still get some cash for the consultation (to which I make clear that it will cost them for my opinion, not much, but time is money).
2 years ago for a small office I added ram, formatted and reinstalled OS 9.2.2, reinstalled their main apps, and added a router for their ADSL connection so all Macs were sharing net connection and network printer. 4 iMacs (slot loading 333Mhz...). Considering I'm not certified to do this stuff, THEY offered me 12$ an hour. I walked out with a cool 1000$ (tax free) a few days later.
Originally posted by ZO
Considering I'm not certified to do this stuff, THEY offered me 12$ an hour. I walked out with a cool 1000$ (tax free) a few days later.
You put in 83+ hours in a few days?!?
You must have been beat.
Originally posted by 709
You put in 83+ hours in a few days?!?
You must have been beat.
I was gonna say...
anyway, I just remember I got 1000euro
I need to find this kind of freelance work, where the customer has no clue what's going on... or are running a business. The vendor my company uses charges > $300 per onsite visit. Sometimes it's replacing a PC and running the install scripts. But other times, it's unjamming a Laserjet.
-Neø