Being particularly gifted in computer maintenance is often a very large burden in some ways. Being capable of effectively using and maintaining a computer is a life skill that can grant you access to limitless amounts of information (or as Johnny-5 in Short Circuit called it: input), abundant employment options, and numerous forms of entertainment as well as ways of expressing yourself. Self-expression can be explored on computers through the ability to together and write personal blogs, and numerous other creative activities.
However, the moment friends, neighbors friends, and perfect strangers realize that you have got an unusual amount of skill in the use of computers you'll be viewed as a powerful resource for their uses. Individuals that don't have a deep understanding of computer maintenance often lack altogether what are known in psychology literature as the "meta-cognitive" abilities to assess their own ability. This, consequently, results in a scenario widely known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon where people who've got the least ability or knowledge on a given subject actually believe that they are of a very high skill level, and often even rate themselves even higher than those who actually are in the top tier of skill in a skill or subject.
As a consequence of the Dunning-Kruger effect, people will ask a able computer user to help them "take a look at this real quick" without first knowing the depth or level of complication of a computer problem. The story is always the same: the computer person agrees , as a well meaning favor, without knowing what they are actually signing up for and they end up feeling obligated to stay with the task until it is fixed.
There's a few solutions to this problem. One is to make a habit out of having a literal verbal script that you say aloud to almost everyone who asks for assistance with their personal computer. This verbal script should tell the requester that your offer of assistance doesn't guarantee future support for free, nor any personal culpability if things end up worse off than they were. One should also set a firm limit to the amount of time you are willing to personally invest working on it, and tell them what that limit on time is before you begin working on it. Depending, of course, on your familial relationship with said individual you should also take into consideration establishing an hourly rate you would be willing to charge that is reasonable.
However, the moment friends, neighbors friends, and perfect strangers realize that you have got an unusual amount of skill in the use of computers you'll be viewed as a powerful resource for their uses. Individuals that don't have a deep understanding of computer maintenance often lack altogether what are known in psychology literature as the "meta-cognitive" abilities to assess their own ability. This, consequently, results in a scenario widely known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon where people who've got the least ability or knowledge on a given subject actually believe that they are of a very high skill level, and often even rate themselves even higher than those who actually are in the top tier of skill in a skill or subject.
As a consequence of the Dunning-Kruger effect, people will ask a able computer user to help them "take a look at this real quick" without first knowing the depth or level of complication of a computer problem. The story is always the same: the computer person agrees , as a well meaning favor, without knowing what they are actually signing up for and they end up feeling obligated to stay with the task until it is fixed.
There's a few solutions to this problem. One is to make a habit out of having a literal verbal script that you say aloud to almost everyone who asks for assistance with their personal computer. This verbal script should tell the requester that your offer of assistance doesn't guarantee future support for free, nor any personal culpability if things end up worse off than they were. One should also set a firm limit to the amount of time you are willing to personally invest working on it, and tell them what that limit on time is before you begin working on it. Depending, of course, on your familial relationship with said individual you should also take into consideration establishing an hourly rate you would be willing to charge that is reasonable.
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