PC/Computer Profession Discussion

[Darkblister]

I have a question or a discussion starter I wanted to propose and I hope it's appropriate to post this here since it's not explicitly tech related enough to go in the main sub-forum. If this isn't the right place, I apologize and I'll see if I can get someone to close the thread or move it.

 

I would consider myself a casual pc building enthusiast. Almost two years ago from now, I fell in love with pc's and the idea of building and the intricacies of how a computer works and functions. I spent everyday over the course of months and months just reading, learning, and discussing with others about anything pc related to learn more. Overall, I'm not an expert by any means but I feel like I'm capable and knowledgeable enough at this point to be a good resource for someone who is looking to build or buy a computer. However, I often get written off by friends or family members who are skeptical of my suggestions because someone they know who "works with computers" in their job told them otherwise and they refuse to believe me because it's essentially only just a hobby for me. However, I dont necessarily feel like that is completely justified because I would think it depends on what exactly "working with computers" means. Recently I purchased a nice laptop for university to take notes and simple tasks since I have my own gaming pc I built. I was explaining the specs to a friend and they completely mocked me for buying an i5 and it only costing less than $600 when they spent nearly 2 grand on a laptop with an i7, etc just because their brother who "works with computers" told them to, even though they just browse the web. Certainly just because your job uses or revolves around the use of computers doesn't mean you know everything about computers or components, especially since the realm of computers is so widespread.

 

So my question is, what specific jobs/careers are out there that are fairly common and reliable sources when it comes to asking for pc building/buying help? Like IT, software development, even electronic retail workers, etc? I'm very curious because personally I think that someone like me should be more than capable to recommend parts or pc's for something simple like a basic pc build for light gaming or even just web browsing. I don't think I need to have a career in a related field to validate that. I don't need to be an expert to say that you don't need a 2080ti in a pc build to run club penguin or an 9700k for a pc to be used only for browsing, very simple things like that. However, I do understand that some professions actually know what they're talking about so in times when I encounter that, I'd rather step back and learn from their expertise and I want to be more aware and prepared for situations like that. 

[Guest]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:25 PM, Darkblister said:

I have a question or a discussion starter I wanted to propose and I hope it's appropriate to post this here since it's not explicitly tech related enough to go in the main sub-forum. If this isn't the right place, I apologize and I'll see if I can get someone to close the thread or move it.

 

I would consider myself a casual pc building enthusiast. Almost two years ago from now, I fell in love with pc's and the idea of building and the intricacies of how a computer works and functions. I spent everyday over the course of months and months just reading, learning, and discussing with others about anything pc related to learn more. Overall, I'm not an expert by any means but I feel like I'm capable and knowledgeable enough at this point to be a good resource for someone who is looking to build or buy a computer. However, I often get written off by friends or family members who are skeptical of my suggestions because someone they know who "works with computers" in their job told them otherwise and they refuse to believe me because it's essentially only just a hobby for me. However, I dont necessarily feel like that is completely justified because I would think it depends on what exactly "working with computers" means. Recently I purchased a nice laptop for university to take notes and simple tasks since I have my own gaming pc I built. I was explaining the specs to a friend and they completely mocked me for buying an i5 and it only costing less than $600 when they spent nearly 2 grand on a laptop with an i7, etc just because their brother who "works with computers" told them to, even though they just browse the web. Certainly just because your job uses or revolves around the use of computers doesn't mean you know everything about computers or components, especially since the realm of computers is so widespread.

 

So my question is, what specific jobs/careers are out there that are fairly common and reliable sources when it comes to asking for pc building/buying help? Like IT, software development, even electronic retail workers, etc? I'm very curious because personally I think that someone like me should be more than capable to recommend parts or pc's for something simple like a basic pc build for light gaming or even just web browsing. I don't think I need to have a career in a related field to validate that. I don't need to be an expert to say that you don't need a 2080ti in a pc build to run club penguin or an 9700k for a pc to be used only for browsing, very simple things like that. However, I do understand that some professions actually know what they're talking about so in times when I encounter that, I'd rather step back and learn from their expertise and I want to be more aware and prepared for situations like that. 

I'd wager working with customers in retail would be helpful, since they have real world issues that are usually common and they deal with mainstream components. I worked for Staples as a technician for years, learning how to communicate with customers and understanding their needs and problems. Paired with a general interest in computers, it's a good combination to be a reliable source for building a PC since you've worked with them and have that interest.

 

You certainly don't need an official degree or certification to know what you're talking about, but it doesn't hurt to show that you have a general knowledge in computers (A+ cert comes to mind). I think it'll really boil down to your personality, and if you can articulate your experience well enough for others to understand and to build that trust.

[dalekphalm]

The answer is: "It depends" - I'm a SysAdmin/IT generalist, and I'm extremely knowledgeable (though granted, I'm not necessarily super up to date on every single new part - but that's just a bit of research if required) on PC Building and speccing together good builds.

 

But that doesn't mean every SysAdmin is - or even most people in IT. Especially if they're software focused or Network Admins, etc.

 

The reality is that "Working with computers" doesn't inherently mean you're knowledgeable about building custom PC's.

 

On the flip side, I'd say people who work at PC Building shops, like CanadaComputers and MicroCenter (and old NCIX) would likely be the ones who are the most up to date, since they're the ones doing custom builds every day.

 

Working at a place like Best Buy or Staples or another electronics store that sells OEM PC's can often be the next best option - but you'll get a lot more hit-or-miss results with knowledge, and they won't necessarily have the hands on experience with doing a full custom build.

 

As for someone mocking you because you bought a $600 laptop that suits your needs? Fuck them. If they can't understand the benefits, and that you didn't have a requirement for higher end hardware, that's on them. There will always be people like them.

 

With that in mind, there's often a justified reason for spending more on a laptop, even if the raw specs aren't better. Things like build quality, design of the physical machine (how the hinges work, the touchpad, etc), and so on - these things can make a tangible difference.

 

I spent near enough $1600 CAD (after tax - $1400 pre-tax) on my personal laptop - an HP Spectre x360 13" - it has good specs, but not "blow your mind amazing": i5-8250U, 8GB RAM, 256GB NVME SSD, 1080P display.

 

Could I have gotten a much more powerful laptop for a similar or lower price? Almost certainly. But I would have compromised in other areas, such as battery or build quality.

 

That does not mean everyone should buy that laptop either - I decided those non-spec related items were worth the extra cost, but for someone else, getting a $600 or $800 laptop instead with similar specs but less rigid build quality will be a perfectly acceptable compromise.

[PlayStation 2]

Many people here work with computers as a hobby rather than a job, which is completely fine. Hell, I do it as a personal hobby largely because I don't want to take that hobby into a grander scale. I'd argue that the best occupation for people who work on building PCs would be working at places like a PC builder store, maybe applying some knowledge of PC parts at Best Buy and maybe a PC repair shop.

Also, for anyone who talks shit about you spending $600 on a laptop because it suits your needs? That's dumb as hell. I blew a grand total of $300 on a refurbished HP laptop with a 1366x768 screen and a hard drive because it had what I wanted: a Ryzen 5 2500u. And I'm proud as hell of only spending $300 on it.

[Ezzy-525]

Hobbyists often know more than the professionals when it comes to hardware at least.

 

Of my group of friends, I'm the one who gets all the tech questions "How do I do this?" "Should I buy this?" etc. But one of the group is actually in and IT profession and doesn't get asked and has even asked me in the past.

 

People in the industry also tend to let their workplace head seep into personal conversations about recommendations etc. It's very easy when someone asks what laptop they should get, to throw out the £2000 model that your workplace splurged £200,000 for a hundred of, instead of the £600 (or less) model which actually suits the normal person as their daily driver.

 

Even at work (I'm not in IT) I'm the IT guy, eventhough we have a company specifically contracted to do all of our IT tasks.

 

Maybe it's time to get some certification and actually get paid for my skills!