Heather

capty99's thread: Freelance Does Not Equal Free Work got me thinking about another problem within our respective ranges of expertise that I encounter ALL the time. My BF does as well.

I'm a designer, a writer, an idea girl and I know a little bit about a LOT of different pieces of software. I'm a quick typist and I am slick with Windows and internet research. I'm the 'computer person' in my office.

BF is a hardware geek. He can tear down and put together anything that even SMELLS like a computer. He's the 'computer person' in his office.

Our bosses and coworkers stay frustrated with us - because my boss thinks I ought to be able to build a computer from scratch, and his boss thinks he ought to know everything about MS Office and Peachtree.

Are you the 'computer person'? Do people think you are superman(woman) and know all there is to know about 'computers'?

Folks who don't know anything about computers seem to lump us all into the same basket.

What are your experiences with this phoenomena?

randle

You are the first person they look at whenever something happens and or goes wrong. So I smile and if it isn't something I can do, I'll say no. Ask me again I will limit our converstaion to null. I use to find that happening to me alot and I'm not even an expertise and one specific thing. I'm not a genuis, I just know enough to get by but people that in some way shape or form, just because i stay on the computer alot doesn't mean I know how to do everything.

SageMother

I know exactly where you are coming from. I stopped even going near computers in the schools where I have worked. I can do alot of things that most of the teachers are clueless over, but cannot stand apple computers and that is what most of the classrooms here have. There are things I just cannot do on the classroom computers because I spend the bulk of my time on a PC/IBM compatible....all the other descriptions for my "notamac" mindset.

vicki2

I tend to stay very very quiet about what I can do or not do ...a couple of late night phone calls from panic stricken friends and I became very quiet lol.

randle

I know, I can't continue to tell these people that I'm not a geek. I know few things but i still will charge you for my time. Plus it's all freelance so I have to make money somehow.