snorg wrote:

Tetrium wrote:

I wonder what it would be like to work in a recycling center (and specifically one that takes apart computers). Would be kinda neat to be able to identify precious pieces of hardware and resell them or something (btw this is just some weird fantasy of mine, I'm not even sure if such a job even exists).

If you were working in this type of place, the pace would probably be so rapid you wouldn't have time to salvage anything even if you saw it. And your employer would probably not view it favorably (unless you were the owner, then you can do whatever).

PeterLI wrote:

In a previous job they had a division that recycles / repurposes / scraps / resells obsolete hardware (7,200,000 units annually). It goes very fast and there is no human decision making on the floor. All products have a barcode / FCC ID / model #: the resale value is in a DB. So when the workers scan / input it the computer will tell them how to proceed. There is no room for judgment. This makes sense because the only way to make $ is by fast processing with a low error rate and high recovery rate of recyclables / resale. You achieve this by standardization and computerization.

Whow, that's pretty bad. Thanks for the quick answers though, never had an idea so much was automated these days.

Jorpho wrote:

There are worse things than being a cog in a machine. It is said that a lot of the stories on http://www.clientsfromhell.net or http://www.notalwaysright.com are highly exaggerated, if not outright false, but if they reflect even a fraction of the reality of working in retail, I'll stay in my cubicle all day rather than deal with psychos who want Windows ME installed on their Playstation so they can play Halo and won't take no for an answer. Dealing with the occasional chucklehead on eBay is bad enough.

Yeah, retail sucks big time. Been there, done that. I'm not sure which is worse, retail or food service. People get really goofy when they're hungry.

In my job ("internal affairs") I get to look into things people did wrong and expose them for it. That does not exactly make friends either. 😎

Stiletto wrote:

There's a place near me which does computer recycling as a non-profit charity. They take donations, use working parts to assemble working computers and recycle the rest (I think they send the rest out to the nearest reclaimer. Local "missions" take skids of the resulting working computers overseas to needy countries. Or at least that's their story.

Supposedly, they'll take volunteers to help scrap/recycle. You don't get paid, but put in 40 hours and receive a free recycled "Internet-ready" computer (not of your choice). So this isn't exactly high-paid work.

There's a place like this near me as well. I've often wondered if I should volunteer there for the chance to salvage some precious parts, but I figure the chance of anything good coming through there is pretty minimal. Plus it seems like a pretty shoddy outfit overall.

My local volunteer recycling place won't even take anything older than a P4.

snorg wrote:

Or start taking amphetmines so I can work my day job and still spend 8-10 hours a day on my side projects.

Amphetamines may sound like a good idea in the begining, but they are highly addictive and can eventually lead to stimulant psychosis... You should watch the SciFi flick "Outland".

maximus wrote:

Stiletto wrote:

There's a place near me which does computer recycling as a non-profit charity. They take donations, use working parts to assemble working computers and recycle the rest (I think they send the rest out to the nearest reclaimer. Local "missions" take skids of the resulting working computers overseas to needy countries. Or at least that's their story.

Supposedly, they'll take volunteers to help scrap/recycle. You don't get paid, but put in 40 hours and receive a free recycled "Internet-ready" computer (not of your choice). So this isn't exactly high-paid work.

There's a place like this near me as well. I've often wondered if I should volunteer there for the chance to salvage some precious parts, but I figure the chance of anything good coming through there is pretty minimal. Plus it seems like a pretty shoddy outfit overall.

I've done some local charity work and it left me with a lot of extra spare parts which would otherwise have gotten thrown out. Some soundblaster live! cards, some older floppy drives, a couple empty computer cases and a lot of Chaintech and Asus slot-1 and Socket A motherboards, the list is quite extensive.
I could take everything home with me which would otherwise have been thrown out, but I was lucky to be in a place like this.

EAD/ITAD companies also have industrial size shredders that can shred a car so they process hundreds of machines daily that way.

Where I work, there are thousands of computers in use. Dozens get recycled or scrapped every week. Anything older than a Core 2 Duo gets scrapped; Core 2 Duo computers go to recycling. Dealing with this is not fun for me.

snorg wrote:

...I have a good job but I'm very much a cog in machine. I'm pushing 40 and there are other things I want to do...

I'd say keep your job, but get your fulfillment from a few activities outside of work that are well within your budget. Spend $1000 per year on something speculative that doesn't require constant attention (like a business startup would) and maybe it'll pay off and free you from the need to work for somebody else; if you lose the $1000, well, that won't bankrupt you and potentially ruin your personal life like not having income from a job could.

Sometimes I wonder whether I should have worked harder / more. That would have progressed my career faster and I would have had far more $ in the bank. However: I also realize that life is not guaranteed and I enjoy spending time on hobbies, with family and friends. That is why I chose a slower career. 😀

STX wrote:

I'd say keep your job, but get your fulfillment from a few activities outside of work that are well within your budget.

Time, not money, is usually the issue, is it not?

PeterLI wrote:

Sometimes I wonder whether I should have worked harder / more. That would have progressed my career faster and I would have had far more $ in the bank. However: I also realize that life is not guaranteed and I enjoy spending time on hobbies, with family and friends. That is why I chose a slower career. 😀

Well we could probably all say the same. I could have finished my Associates and gotten a Masters in IT in addition to my BA by now, but I was so sick of academia that once I got out of school that was it. Not to mention it isn't cheap.

Yeah you can work 60, 70, 80 hour weeks and stack the money but none of us know how much time we have and if you don't take a little time to smell the roses, at some point you don't get the chance. I don't think anybody ever laid in their deathbed and said "I wish I spent more time at the office".

snorg wrote:

I don't think anybody ever laid in their deathbed and said "I wish I spent more time at the office".

Sometimes spending more time in the office is a wholly preferable alternative to destitution.

In response to Jorpho:

Time is always the issue. You can get money back, you can't get time back.

Destitution is bad, but so is having a stroke/heart attack at the office.

Ideally, we manage to find a balance somehow that affords us a living and also the things that make living worth it (that don't necessarily provide compensation).

Got into IT outsourcing in my early 20's. Loved it put in loads of time and effort, small company just 3 techies and the boss. Working hard paid off we got taken on trips to NZ, Xbox the 1st Christmas they were out and a PSP when I left (also only recently realised) not to mention 100% responsibility and freedom to manage our days.

Moved to UK and had to start from scratch again. Got lucky, bit bigger company so not as much freedom but all the extra work and time was appreciated if not rewarded to quite the same extent BUT I did enjoy what I was doing.

Then we got brought out just before the economic downturn in 2008. Large company who didn't care about anything but profit margins so not only was all my hard work undone but got nothing in the long run for all that work. I've changed companies a few times but my salary hasn't really gone up. There's just not much money in IT anymore. Even wiping/reloading a PC isn’t cost affective once you include labour.

What's changed big time and this would go for your own store is people’s attitude. In the past we were like a Doctor and people would come to us for advice. Now with everything being consumer level. We are seen as trustworthy as used car sales men and they TELL you what they want no matter if it’s possible or not.
Here is my mac, make it compatible with their Windows PC but only using the programs I want to use, and when you can’t it’s your fault not theirs for getting something that doesn't work.

Also not a fan of all this recycling. I used to upgrade my PC every few years each time an office upgraded, sure my PC was always no younger than 5 years but that’s still ok for basic home use. Now each time I ask for an old machine they say they prefer to dispose of the proper way. 1 client recently moved to the cloud and have about 5 redundant 5 year old Proliant Rack mount servers. My Mrs is just starting up a company and 1 would be perfect for her but no, I can’t have it and save them the cost of disposal

Cloud is also killing off hardware A work mate went off to work for another company but came back as most their small business customers were going Office 365, he could see the writing on the wall, no servers means a lot less support work. Soon we are just going to be desktop support again.

Personally I’m fairly over IT. I enjoyed helping people but for the most part they don’t appreciate it any more. And don’t like where the industry is heading either. Like Mau1wurf I tried teaching for a bit. I went for teaching English to foreigners in London as I enjoyed helping my flatmates but that didn’t last as I didn’t like the responsibility and my grammar is nowhere good enough. Plus the pay was terrible as I don’t have much experience. The Adult students were great fun though. Kids no thanks! So now I’m back in IT. The break means I don’t hate it as much as I did when I got out but I’m keeping my eyes open for something else these days.

mockingbird wrote:

snorg wrote:

Or start taking amphetmines so I can work my day job and still spend 8-10 hours a day on my side projects.

Amphetamines may sound like a good idea in the begining, but they are highly addictive and can eventually lead to stimulant psychosis... You should watch the SciFi flick "Outland".

I was really, really sick (pneumonia) but thought it was just the flu. Trying to alleviate my symptoms I accidentally OD'd on Theraflu (it has either ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, basically herbal speed) and didn't sleep for like 30 hours, towards the end I had no sense of passage of time and was more or less tripping balls. Damn near had a psychotic break. Not something I care to repeat.

So yeah the amphetamines comment was very much in jest, I stay away from all that crap.

Half-Saint wrote:

Guess what? I started my own business a year ago and it's a computer repair business/shop. After a year, I'm still not quite breaking even. Maybe January will be the first month where I make any profit. The rest was a pain and I spent 90% of my savings on keeping the business alive. The problem in my case is not so much that people don't need to have their stuff repaired. There are other things you can and should do as well like cleaning laptops and desktops, installing networking equipment, virus removal, etc.

The biggest problem for me is that I'm still not well known around here but I can't afford to advertise anymore.

I've heard this before as I used to work at a small computer store as a tech. Here in the US its basically impossible for them to survive. The big chains all do the repairs now, but their "sunk" operating costs (building, advertising, etc.) are absorbed by the larger, more profitable retail store.

Today most of the smaller places are trying to adapt by offering smartphone and tablet repair, but that comes with its own challenges. The biggest one is getting parts as certain vendors (COUGH Apple) exercise tight control of their replacement parts. Also the only reason people repair the things is that they are usually under contract and can't obtain a replacement at the same price they paid upfront. This may change in the future as cell phone providers stop subsidizing phones in return for 1 or 2 year contracts.

Running a small business is NOT easy. You'll put in a crap ton of hours with very little pay in return. Just one thing to keep in mind. Pretty much the only place that has real money left in IT is programming. That is mostly because it requires a strong background in problem solving and logic, along with some creative thinking. Its something not too many people have.

I tried some really old Sudafed I found lying around (Must have been more than 20 years old) because I had stuffed sinuses. Worked, but I'm not anxious to use it again since it's not my cup of tea... Amphetamines are far far more powerful than ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Having worked in IT for a few short (and horrible) years, and having seen a friend completely sink their life savings into a PC repair shop and be left with nothing, I'll agree with the general thrust of this thread - if you want to move careers/jobs/whatever pick something that has an "upside" to it, either that it's very rewarding on a personal level (like teaching - have some experience there too; no idea if it's worth anything, but you're welcome to ask and I'll give it a shot) or that is assured to be around for more than the next 3 months (like being a plumber).

I honestly could not say enough negative things about working in and around IT - food service is a cake-walk by comparison (at least if you work in hotels or do banquet/catering service; I have no idea what it's like to work somewhere like McDonald's or at a normal restaurant - I've heard mixed things over the years). This line: "Here is my mac, make it compatible with their Windows PC but only using the programs I want to use, and when you can’t it’s your fault not theirs for getting something that doesn't work." pretty much sums up my experience too - oh yeah, and add on that they (whoever they are) believe you are their slave/property/servant, not a professional that either works for the same employer (e.g. you provide in-house IT support) or that they are hiring to work on something they own (e.g. like an auto-mechanic or plumber). I said good bye and good riddance to that mess when I finished school, and have not looked back.

I honestly wish it weren't that way, but that's been my experience over roughly a decade, and fortunately there are MANY other kinds of jobs out there, so it's fine to keep computers as a hobby and find something else to pay the bills. Keep in mind that unless you work some job that's absolutely solo (like being an independent plumber or grave robber or something like that) there will probably always be "office politics" wherever you find work. So if that's what's driving your desire to move/change, perhaps look at ways to reconcile that (if it's possible - some workplaces are just toxic and the best you can do is move on down the road (and in my experience the distinction is not always apparent)).