Computer Jobs Blog

I remember 5 or so years a go when I supported home and small business users as a field engineer. Even back then the most common cause of call outs was viruses and spyware.

And that problem hasn't got any smaller either and doesn't look like it's going to soon.

Removing viruses/adware/spyware can be a tricky job. The people who write them make sure it's no easy task. And then the aftermath can be quite devastating.

This is not the kind of job that can be done remotely. What the user typically ends up doing is taking their computer into somewhere like PC world or calling the manufacturer who just wipe the hard drive and re-install the operating system - ("Oh sorry did you have any data you wanted to keep, oh well it's all gone now - but so is the virus at least...")

The need for skilled malware removal professionals is greater than ever, those poor home users and small business users need YOU!

If done correctly and with a bit of knowledge and training and a good proven business system anyone with a bit of computer knowledge can set up their own home computer repair business

The field of PC repairs can be quite competitive when it comes to all round general tasks, but become a targeted specialist anti-malware strike force and you can leave the competition behind.

There is great opportunity for this specialist home computer repair business

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February 8, 2007 18:32 - Are You Getting Lost in Job Search Engines?

Looking for a better job that pays more and ticks all the right boxes is no small task. Especially when you can't be seen job hunting at the office using company resources on company time.

And how do you know that you're reaching all the right places? Using the Internet to find a new job is great because you have access to a whole world of job search sites and as long as you've submitted your details to enough job search engines the right job has a good chance of finding you before you (or someone else) find it.

That's all great but with the amount of job sites there are out there trawling through them all, submitting to each one then searching each one is literally a full time job in itself!

There are resume posting services and other job search software providers that claim that submitting to all the sites can involve up to 60 hours of data entry - and that's just submitting to each one - the phrase "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" come to mind...

And I thought the Internet was supposed to make life easier and streamline things like this. Well it's not the Internet's fault that we now have access to ridiculous amounts of information and choice. It's definitely a very good thing - hugely time consuming but good all the same.

It would be great if someone made a big long list of the most important job sites and put it all in one place..

Well I can but try, project - job search engines - is underway!

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February 16, 2007 17:22 - How to Source Cheap Computer Hardware at Wholesale

Have you even bought a low quality piece of hardware that's turned out to be more trouble than it's worth?

Especially RAM - that's something you definitely don't want to scrimp on. What's the point in saving a bit of cash up front just to end up having to spend it all over again a few months down the line when whatever it is goes bang (and sometimes takes the whole ship down with it)?

Having to deal with those huge online shopping malls can be testing enough as it is. If you've been unfortunate enough to have dealt with some of the really bad ones (they know who they are), then for the thing to cause sluggish performance and then stop working all together should be the cherry on top - but no there's more..

The after support - or should I say 'antisupport' is enough to make you just want to give up, forget the whole nasty business ever happened and just write off the money. Sometimes I've thought that might actually be the company's business model..

From selecting the part you want and paying for it being the most flawless part of the process the rest seems to gradually come unstuck from there. If you've been through this nightmare of waiting weeks for something you've paid for having to spend hours on hold just to be told a different story every time you eventually get through to someone you'll know what I mean.

Well there is a better way - you can cut out the online mall and go straight to the source. And better still you can get cheap computer hardware at wholesale prices!

No more "Oh sorry it hasn't come in yet actually we should be getting more in next week" for me - I know where to get my cheap computer hardware from now on.. And it's got nothing to do with Pricerunner either - although they are always good to double check prices against anyway.

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February 17, 2007 10:39 - PC hardware tutorials That Get You Up and Earning Quickly

So you want to fix build and fix PCs for people but don't want to have to spend months upon months studying for A+ and shelling out for the exams.

Well most home and small business users will never have heard of CompTIA A+ so you're probably OK if you just want to go down the home study route and learn what you need to know to get up and running quickly.

Don't get me wrong - doing A+ is probably the best thing you can do to learn about computer hardware, operating systems and basic networking from a very foundational level.

But fixing stuff for home users will largely involve slow performance, spyware and other pesky software related issues. You might perform the odd RAM upgrade, or even replace some other faulty component - but your most important skillset by far will be quickly diagnosing and fixing slow computers that freeze up and hang.

At the moment there is no industry standard study route or certification for spyware and virus removal, which is a shame because there is a bad need for it. Luckily the computing community have taken that into their own hands and there are some good PC hardware tutorials that will get you up and fixing these pesky problems very quickly whether it's for a hobby, some extra cash or even your own full time home computer repair business!

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February 26, 2007 13:52 - What does it take to become a contractor?

Throughout my career I've always been a permanent employee or 'permie' as they're known in contracting circles.

Having the security of a regular paycheck, holiday/sick pay and other benefits is nice and comfortable but when you work alongside those contractors who are being paid nearly twice as much as you to do the same job you do find yourself wondering what it is they have that you don't.

By and large contractors are very skilled in their field, adaptable to environments and have the ability to just hit the ground running wherever they are placed without having to be trained up like most permanent employees.

Apart from that a lot of it is confidence and outward appearance. It does take some courage to be a contractor, and for many of us the potential to find oneself out of work with bills to pay is just that little bit too far outside the comfort zone.

But on the flipside to that looking at all the contract work available and the amount of calls I get for nicely paid exciting contracts make me think that there is a sustainable amount of work.

So how does one make the transition from permie to contractor? Because for me the possibilities of jumping ship to a nice juicy contract have always fallen apart at the 'how soon can you start?' part of the conversation. 1 month's notice period just doesn't cut it.

So what should I do? Give notice and not start interviewing until I have 1 week's availability? Not exactly inside the comfort zone either.

Contracting is all about being your own boss which is why you get paid so much more. So if you're going to be your own boss you may as well create a business from which you contract out your services. To small clients and large.

The only way I can see that happening is to start a home computer repair business, get out there and get work helping out home and small business users while looking for contracts. I really don't see any other viable way of leaving the comfort zone of the permanent 9-5, keeping the bills paid and becoming available for 'can you start tomorrow' contracts.

If anyone knows of a viable alternative please let me know! Click here for more on this subject

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February 28, 2007 20:09 - That's the company registered - now for the real challenges

Having finally bitten the bullet and registered a private limited company I now have to actually build up a client base and get some work.

I want to provide mainly internet marketing services for small businesses, a bit of IT support and be able to contract without having to pay an umbrella company so that's quite a diverse range of services.

I've gone into this without any clear business plan but just a desire to do it and the knowledge that I definitely want to do it. Registering the company has I suppose spurred me into action and given me some structure and step by step tasks to accomplish.

To start with I'll do the company formation, documentation and accounting checklists that are so conveniently laid out at businesslink.gov.uk just to cross the T's and dot the I's.

Then onto a bit of keyword research to find out what search terms people are using to try and find what my business will provide, then plan the website structure then get the site up.

It's going to be a lot of work but so's anything worth having. I've got very very big plans for this business.

Watch this space!

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