The joys of IT work

One of the most annoying facts about being an I.T. person is when you are in the office is the fact that you feel like you have to sneak around. People see you as a free service to them to fix computers for them, their friends and family, 2nd cousins roommate from college. Need to run to the bathroom? Suddenly you feel like a downed pilot behind enemy lines trying to sneak past enemy patrols. And then it comes. The ambush. Someone stops to ask a question about something they saw on so-and-so's computer once on this tv show last year.
You stand there nodding endlessly, thinking to yourself, "Hurry up Speedy, I'm not hopping around like this because I plan on trying out for Dancing With the Stars."
If there is one thing I have learned is, don't fix the computers for these people at work, or you will find your spare time eaten up with a bench full of computers from them and everyone they know wanting free tech support. And the phone calls. Once someone gets word that you are an IT person, expect the phone calls to start. "Look I dropped my pc accidentally. Can you tell me over the phone how to fix this?"
My professor told us the other night he repairs computers. But he charges $400 for the repair. I asked him why. He said, "Once they know you fix them, they will constantly be bringing them over. You gotta train them. They want it fixed, make the 8-10 hours you spend on it profitable. Video card out? Pop in a $200 video card for them. Once they learn that it will cost them, they will stop bringing all but the most severe cases to you. And you get your life back."

I will have to make note of that.