Several years ago I stopped working on computers for free. I was beginning to think the requests for free work would never end. There is nothing less satisfying than spending your whole work week working with computers to have to spend your time off work doing the same thing for free. This is a common issue for people who have trade skills like automotive repair, plumbing, and computer repair. But, this has started to get more complex recently.
Most of my friends have a vague understanding of what I do. I imagine to them it is like “something, something, Internet, with something, something, websites, something, computer stuff.” Most of my friends are not computer savvy, in fact, few of them actually have computers and of those friends even fewer use their computers frequently. So it’s no surprise that they don’t understand the details that go into things like high-availability, high-traffic websites. But it is annoying when a friend comes to me and says “I have an awesome idea for a website, you could make it for me, right? Oh and you’ll do it for free, right?”
There is a sentiment among many tech professions that our skills are undervalued and the work is seen as simple. I suspect there are several reasons for this. The first reason is that there are few physical results from our labors. When I create a web site there is nothing to hold and what people see they think can be created in programs they are familiar with, like word processing applications and imaging programs. Since all the hard work is done behind the scenes to produce what the person sees, they are not apt to think it is labor intensive.
A second reason I believe tech skills are undervalued is the over simplification or such portrayed in the cinema and media. A few good examples of this can be found in Maxim’s “The 13 Hackiest Hacking Movie Moments,” or weekly on any one of the 4 trillion CSI programs on TV. These depictions, while meant for entertainment sake, do influence the perceptions of those who watch them. As a result, people assume that things like hacking the Gibson are just a few simple keystrokes. These are the same people who say, “It’s probably really easy, but I don’t want to learn how to do it.”
The last statement brings me to my final reason I believe tech skills are undervalued. Anything is easy when you are skilled at doing it. I have a friend who can juggle live blades like it’s nothing. He practiced at it for quite awhile to be able to do it on command with little fear of injury. But someone looking at that trick would be quick to say, “That takes skill and must have taken a lot of practice.” But those same people when watching me work my magic on a system just assume I’m hording some simple knowledge from them so they’ll have to pay me to do it. It’s not simple, it takes skill, education, and practice to become good at it.
So, despite the great relationships I have with my friends, I quote exactly how much I would charge a private client. Please realize that good, functional websites are worth their price tag. Unless you want a one-page site with simple text and questionable uptime, good websites cost good money. I encourage everyone to do their research before finding a webmaster/designer/developer. Friends, I have no qualms giving you my real quote if you have no qualms with asking me for free labor. C’est La Vie!
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Tags: Computer repair, Internet, web design, websites
