IT generalist

Working in the field of information technology (IT) is like being a doctor, everyone thinks you have an answer for their particular issue, whether it is your area of expertise or not. It might be asking a doctor about a persistent pain you have in your foot or being asked to fix a Windows issue if you're the IT guy. This generalisation of someone's profession is quite common, and though I work in an IT-related field, I am no IT guru.

My family and friends often think I am a fountain of knowledge regarding their IT issues. I would suggest that the fountain only flows as a trickle, but I am happy to assist anyone who asks for a bit of help. Always downplaying my skills and experience, I try not to get myself into too much trouble or break something that I can't fix. I don't fix hardware, and I am happy to tell someone I have no idea when I don't know.

When it comes to helping family and friends, I am happy being the IT generalist, with an array of knowledge and experience on various IT issues, some useful and some not.