Anyone else a victim of their specialties?

[Doctor Mowinckel]

Anyone else have people asking them for advice, because they have a certain degree or major, or do a certain job? I'm a personal trainer, have my NSCA-CPT, and I'm always having people ask me for training advice. I used to give a shit and help friends and friends of friends for free, but no one ever stuck with the regimens I made for them, so now I just tell them to pick up a copy of Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe, and link them to the Starting Strength wiki.

One of my friends is in enrolled in a culinary school, he tells me he has people asking him for wine recommendations all the time.

Anyone else have to deal with crap like this?

[Antonio_Bay]

Yeah, I'm Known as the computer guy down my road. Fixed minor problems in three homes so far.

[Sheriff]

I think it's the level that you take it on.

I definitely think that it's hard to find the right level to use it, you have to balance the fact that you have friends that want to feel like your hooking them up with the fact that it is your time and expertise (and also the company you work for/at needs to make money).

I work as a Chemical Engineer, so the amount of stuff that comes up to do (other than running large batches of illegal drugs ;)) in regular conversation is pretty small. But used to work in a very nice, and well known bicycle shop, and that got me a lot of 'friends work'. I charge beer and full price for parts (so the shop makes money), and I let them know that it's on my schedule and it seems to work out. If they want it sooner I tell them about the shop and what it would cost them otherwise and they can choose. It did take me some time to learn a balance but it helps that I totally love to work on bikes.

I'm empathizing, if you have people that want you to do free work, maybe try to work it into your own gym schedule (like let them know when you'll be at the gym if they want to go), it would help out your gym (especially if they knew that you bring in new clientele), and I'm sure that if your as big as a geek and passionate about what you do the extra time to explain the finer points of training to someone wouldn't be a big deal.

[Doctor Mowinckel]

Pshaw. I have my own weight room. No gyms for me.

And don't get me wrong, I like what I do, but if you're not going to be serious about training, I'm not going to be serious about getting you on a training regimen. My clients are different, though. It seems when people actually pay for a trainer, they listen to them, rather than seeing it something dismissable.

[Blast Thickneck]

Never ever ever be the first in your family to go to law school. Family reunions are like a colon cancer screening, everyone has the stupidest questions, 99% of which are about taxes. I'm not a tax attorney damnit, ask your fucking accountant. I haven't even passed the bar yet and they think I can represent them, even when I don't live in the same state.

[donkey]

You're a lawyer? Let me ask you a question!

Whats black and brown and looks good on you?

Sorry Sorry.

But On topic, yes. I've got construction experience and IT support experience. I get a lot of phone calls from friends and family.

[JK]

People are always asking me to watch their TVs...

[RobinHoodDaffy]

People are always asking me to watch their TVs...

Hard life there, Jk, hard life.:D

No one ever asks me to bake for them. So I guess I get off easy there.

[Antonio_Bay]

Dude, bake me a cake.

[Jason Shiffy]

I want a cake too.

[JK]

I like crepes

[Lotism]

Dude, bake me a cake.
I want a cake too.

http://api.ning.com/files/coqSEbjXtUQK7b-z1wf-0e3BN9PI1hC1TNRBlhrRo4NvLT4i5sN-fOYhRjTLPdTNsK225vLCtWU74YUNj0B2ltR7WCm1euhw/cake.jpg


I like crepes
Having some right this moment.:)

[JK]

Having some right this moment.:)

http://www.moviewallpaper.net/wpp/Will_Ferrell_in_Talladega_Nights:_The_Ballad_of_Ri cky_Bobby_Wallpaper_2_800.jpg

;)

[Lotism]

One of my friends is in enrolled in a culinary school, he tells me he has people asking him for wine recommendations all the time.

And he lets them get away with it?

[Kernal2306]

I am a self taught geek and now that I am taking a bunch of computer classes in school I have people asking me all the time for help. I don't mind though cuz it gives me a chance to practice what I am learning.

[Blast Thickneck]

You're a lawyer? Let me ask you a question!

Whats black and brown and looks good on you?

Got a buck for the Doberman? Don't worry, I don't take offense to lawyer jokes. I'm only taking the bar for a sense of closure, I've got no intention of being a lawyer by trade, I want to teach (hence staying in school for four more years after this). I've never met a worse group of people in my life than I've met in law school, just terrible human beings. I'm a pretty big cunt myself, but I like to think I'm not pure evil though.

[dtcb]

Got a buck for the Doberman? Don't worry, I don't take offense to lawyer jokes. I'm only taking the bar for a sense of closure, I've got no intention of being a lawyer by trade, I want to teach (hence staying in school for four more years after this). I've never met a worse group of people in my life than I've met in law school, just terrible human beings. I'm a pretty big cunt myself, but I like to think I'm not pure evil though.

Ha!Ha!Ha!

Finance Legal = anal retentive.....anal. a horrible double whammy.

However, I know a few barristers/lawyers over here in hong kong. Generally nice guys. (although one of my neighbors who was a barrister went batshit crazy so much so he was on CNN for his antics). There are worse dicks than them. It's called "upper management" For some reason, no matter what field you are in (accounting, legal, sales, etc) the guys gunning for management instead of being given management through experience are utter dicks. the 'ladder climbers' are the worse. Only about 10% are worth the air they breath.

I'm a telecommuncations engineer. And I get calls from out of the woodwork by people who just somehow got my card. Neighbors, drinking buddies, etc. They call even if they're not one of our customers. All wanting to know some question about what's going on with their network (whether it be home or corporate). We've had some major outages Globally due to natural (tsunami, eathquakes, etc) and unnatural (bombings, revolution, strikes, war, more bombings, etc) problems that affect network. So, there has been at least 4 times when I was getting swamped by calls because people couldn't 'surf da' net.' I'd usually tell them, "You think that's bad, your stock market and law enforcement network is down too! Ha! Ha! Ha! Where do you live again?"

And everyone and their grandmother has set up wireless networking at home now and bugs me about that. I've seen some ridiculous mistakes with home wireless networks. from antennas facing straight up and down next to a concrete wall, to parking the cordless phone right next to the wireless router.

[DarthMaulRat]

And everyone and their grandmother has set up wireless networking at home now and bugs me about that. I've seen some ridiculous mistakes with home wireless networks. from antennas facing straight up and down next to a concrete wall, to parking the cordless phone right next to the wireless router.
Yeah, I've set up one too many wireless routers. I'm also now the official family photo fixer. That's what I get for putting together one christmas card three years ago.