Do we have the same fate as TV Techs?

[keeperofthecode]

I make tons of money on TV's. TV shops may have died out for a while but they are on the comeback. If you're not making money off TV's then you're missing out. I have four TVs in my office right now getting fixed and they are just like anything else, Google is your friend. Here are some ideas for you guys.

TV Repair
Wall Mounting TVs
Wiring Surround Sounds
Connecting Wireless TV/Blu-Ray
Netflix Setups
Bulb Replacements
Much More

I have a buudy that has owned a TV shop for around ten years and he rakes in more than me. He feels like computers are the waste of time. Sends all his customers with PC work to me and in return when I'm too busy to mess with TVs I send them to him.

 

[FoolishTech]

Yeah I can't believe this thread is still going.

Of course TV's don't have viruses (yet, heh)

but

TV's don't store and grant access to important customer data.

 

[PCSupportGlasgow]

Yeah I can't believe this thread is still going.

Of course TV's don't have viruses (yet, heh)

but

TV's don't store and grant access to important customer data.

+1 with more and more tvs now having streaming and web browsing capabilities it wont be long before they have nice viruses of their wn for us to repair. More and more large tvs will have pc like functions.


in another note with trojans like Zues/etc becoming more and more like software releases with the updates our job will become essential as their will come a time when banks will start placing some liability on consumers when funds go missing due to trojan infected devices (notice DEVICES not PC).

As for TV repair men a fair amount of them who saw the trends went onto circuit board repair/pc repair/phone repair so they mostly adapted to the changes of device im sure most PC repair compnies will too if and when the time comes.

 

[FoolishTech]

As for TV repair men a fair amount of them who saw the trends went onto circuit board repair/pc repair/phone repair so they mostly adapted to the changes of device im sure most PC repair compnies will too if and when the time comes.

Yep. We are already having to adapt to "device" repair (phones, tablets, etc.) not just PC repair. And as you +1'd I don't think it will be long before we adapt back to [smart] TV repair from a software aspect if nothing else.

So I think that, considering the point of this thread is that will we go the way of TV repair techs, I think it's funny that we WILL (actually become TV repair techs.)

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Our world is changing, I don't think we'll have the same fate at TV techs...but our world is definitely changing.

We used to make tons of money in our field. Years ago in the DOS and Win 3x and even a bit into the early Win95 days we used to make lots of money on computer sales..they were expensive back then....several grand, then dropping to around 2,000 bucks for average computers in the early Win95 days, and then dropping to a grand and under a grand after that and we as small resellers lost our little gold mine there.

Repairing them was good money, and worth it to the customer. On a PC that cost someone 3 grand, a repair bill of a few hundred dollars was worth it to them. These days...so many people buying cheap disposable 600 dollar computers...it's hard to justify a bill of 250 or 300 bucks to them.

Back in those early days, even monitors...those big old CRTs...repairing them was worth it. Now it costs less to purchase a big new LCD than it does to ship a big old CRT somewhere for repair.

Printers are becoming disposable unless is some big workgroup class or higher laserjet.

As for "consulting fees"....since what I do is SMB consulting...small to medium business networks....we're going through some big changes here. We focus on networks from 10 - 100 computers, those that have at least 1 server. Servers are where some tech that knows that they're doing comes into play, and we can start to command more money. I typically did Small Business Server installs for $5,000.00 consulting fee, even higher...$7,500.00 for some of the larger deployments. Servers is where we made our money.

Now...with so many people out there know about "cloud services"...and moving their offices to "the cloud"....we have to adapt. We're not doing that many Small Business Server installs anymore.....more small clients are moving to Office 365 or Google Apps. We signed up as Office 365 resellers....and yeah we make a little cabbage there, but the days of doing at least one Small Biz Server install per month and taking home that kind of income...they're dwindling.

We still have some good money making clients..those with several servers or more, regular monthly work. But we're having to adapt to finding ways of getting good steady monthly income, from providing other services. We've come up with our own mail filtering services (similar to postini/mxlogic/appriver..except we did our own creation)...for our clients with Exchange Servers...mail flows through our data center first, gets cleaned, and then shoots off to the clients Exchange box. We're doing disaster recovery products (Datto) which is turning out to be a nice monthly income.

 

[Dameize]

Im pleased the thread is still going as it shows people are interested and its fantastic seeing how others adapt. Some of the things you guys have said are really great ideas. I dont think we will die as such but I do think we willneed to adapt and I accept that.

thanks!

 

[altrenda]

I'll do my part to keep this alive.
I think a better analogy is to auto mechanics. Cars have become simpler to operate and more reliable, but the systems themselves are more complex and require greater skill and knowledge to maintain.

The wrench jockeys that didn't keep up have faded away, but there is still plenty of business for well trained, up to date mechanics. Just driving between the freeway and my home I pass several mechanics and they seem to have more than enough business to keep going.

 

[Appleby]

I've been down this road over and over and I think it's pretty easy to see that there are two factions that don't really budge in their beliefs.

Here is what I'll say....I am willing to bet money with anyone on this board, that in 15 years, there will be only a small portion of the number of computer repair shops open that are operating today.

Forget adapting, forget user's data, forget software glitches, for get it all. Some people will survive, there will always be some sort of computer repair/support needed, I won't argue that. But here is where the real issue lies.....we have become a disposable society. Think of all the "repair" businesses that existed for the last 50 years that are now either gone or only a small fraction are still in operation. TV, microwave, appliances, heck even the shade tree mechanic is a fast dying breed. He's been over taken by the dealership mechanics and the fact that cars have less problems than 20 years ago.

My point is this.... Will our industry disappear? No, but it will shrink as the repair/support "pie" shrinks and computers become even more disposable than they are today. I don't see how that can even be argued.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

TV repair is still alive. There are still small shops that do it and then there are the large companies that work for the manufacturers that contract to techs all over. Those companies do all of the warranty repairs.

Computer repair is not going away because computers are always changing and you aren't just a repair man. You need to set computers up, recover data, replace components, fix OS/program issues, etc.

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

I was talking to my granda today who was previously a television engineer from about the age of 16. When I was talking to him he said that he worked for a firm that had about 12 employees and each literally did about 10-40 jobs per day each on a home visit basis. This was in probably a 15 mile radius of where i live maybe even 10..

This was when tvs were popular. he gave me a huge insight on what he did and from what he told me it was pretty much the same as pc techs today. As tvs became cheaper though they became easier to replace and less prone to faults.

I know this has been discussed before but do you think computer technicians have the same fate as tv techs? that firm with like 12 employees doing an average of probably 25 jobs a day each plus competing firms (he said there was like 2-3 + shops) are now dead and tvs are very cheap and not worth fixing. I know a lot of pc stuff is software based but as windows is updated its going to be less and less virus prone just like mac osx is not very prone to getting viruses.

It just got my thinking really as I know a lot of people that are 15/16 etc are tech savvy and in a few years will be the threat that those who are 18-22 are to the older ones now.

My personal opinion is that in 15 years time we will be pretty much obsolete.

Discuss.

My father was a TV sales and repair service center in Staten Island NY, NY in the 1960's. It was a very good living and we ended up with two stores and five techs and three vans. That business got smaller and we ended up taking care of video arcade games which were tv's with computers in a large plywood box. That business got smaller and we because computer technicians. I suspect that soon we will become home technology engineers making tv's, refrigerators, washers/dryers, hvac and hot water appliances all talk to the home server which is accessed through your android application on your phone. Will there need to be 2 million home engineers? Well there are nearly 200,000,000 homes in the US. So maybe yes.

If you are a hardware tech you might get comfortable with tcp/ip 4 and 6 for now. get into cabling and understand data transfer and flow.

But yes the PC repair business as you know it will likely be a paltry sum of todays current situation.

 

[Berk]

I think a big thing that will always keep at least some people in business are virus and malware removal. I know some people in here have stated that there might be a day without it. I personally believe that this will never be true.

Quite simply, there are malicious people out there who are always going to be after people's information for profit, or just for kicks and giggles. No matter how good software becomes, no matter what is tried, people will figure out how to circumvent it.

Part of the reason that Mac's don't get viruses is partially because they are built from a better kernel base (imho), but also because the lion share of the market is still MS Windows machines. You have to ask yourself, if you are a virus writer/creator would you put the time in the infect (lets estimate) 20% of the population, or 75% of the population (the other 5% or so is given to the *Nix users).

Now, this will change as apple begins to gain more of a share in the market (I fully expect to start seeing Ipad viruses anyday now). Plus, you can see that there are viruses for Mac in that there are companies that offer virus protection for Mac's. If there were no viruses at all for Mac, why would there be antivirus for it?

I do wholly think that we need to evolve constantly. I personally have been servicing computers for friends and family for 4-5 years now by word of mouth and just this year I finally started my own company, licenses and all. I think I am about to get my first business contract here in the next week or so and am looking forward to expanding into the business sector and hopefully quit my day job in a year or two when I build the clientele to do so.

The reason why TV repair died down (once again, imho) is that like has been previously stated, there is huge difference between a computer and a TV. And with TV's now moving into a realm of internet connectivity/internet streaming/smart TV's, I see a whole new realm of possibilities opening up.

Simply put, those who adapt will survive, those who don't will not.

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

I've been down this road over and over and I think it's pretty easy to see that there are two factions that don't really budge in their beliefs.

Here is what I'll say....I am willing to bet money with anyone on this board, that in 15 years, there will be only a small portion of the number of computer repair shops open that are operating today.

Forget adapting, forget user's data, forget software glitches, for get it all. Some people will survive, there will always be some sort of computer repair/support needed, I won't argue that. But here is where the real issue lies.....we have become a disposable society. Think of all the "repair" businesses that existed for the last 50 years that are now either gone or only a small fraction are still in operation. TV, microwave, appliances, heck even the shade tree mechanic is a fast dying breed. He's been over taken by the dealership mechanics and the fact that cars have less problems than 20 years ago.

My point is this.... Will our industry disappear? No, but it will shrink as the repair/support "pie" shrinks and computers become even more disposable than they are today. I don't see how that can even be argued.

From your argument I can tell you that your problem is that you are in the computer business, not the technology business. Yes, your self defined business is going to shrink, especially if you cannot allow yourself to think of ipads, iphones, android devices, computerized home monitoring systems and other high tech home devices are computers.

 

[Quinn06]

One word. Networking.
If your not doing it, start.
If you don't know how, learn.
If you don't want to, your choice.
But networking is exploding right now, and will continue to grow for the next 20 years IMO.

I like how Tony put it. Are you in the technology or computer business?
As long as your willing to learn new things and adapt, we will be here forever.

 

[Dameize]

From what I know I think appleby is only into apple machines so he would know what no virus income is like. I know you need to expand and Im always learning new things. Im currently learning how to repair blackberrys and laptop dc jacks etc im also studying networking at uni.

 

[Quinn06]

im also studying networking at uni.

Trainsignal Video Training, is the best I have ever used. It is worth every dime, especially the Server Training Videos.

 

[Dameize]

Trainsignal Video Training, is the best I have ever used. It is worth every dime, especially the Server Training Videos.

thanks for the info, ill have to look it up.

 

[acesdeals]

One word. Networking.
If your not doing it, start.
If you don't know how, learn.
If you don't want to, your choice.
But networking is exploding right now, and will continue to grow for the next 20 years IMO.

I like how Tony put it. Are you in the technology or computer business?
As long as your willing to learn new things and adapt, we will be here forever.

Why do you say this, i studied networking in college but went into hardware repair instead yet i still have it somewhere in the back of my brain

 

[Jory]

Personally I'm already "looking" for a 9 to 5 job. If the right opportunity presents itself at a place I know will still be around when I'm ready to retire I'm taking it. I'm in no hurry, but I see the writing on the wall. I don't want to be doing this in 10-15 years, middle aged, and trying to scrape by with whatever technical service opportunities emerge.

I've been doing this a long time, and every year it seems like it dawns on me how good it used to be. Computers used to be expensive so it was always worth repairing them. Technology moved so fast there were always great sales opportunities. In the era of Windows 9x malware removal was the majority of the income that was easy to rely on.

Computers are getting ridiculously cheap, and there will come a point where computers won't be much more than thin clients that are easy to swap in and out. Personal data/software will be stored in the cloud (I hate that term), and there will be no point in repairing them.

There may always be a need for people like us, but ask yourself if you could survive off 10% of what you make now. That's the future we're all looking at. You'll have to make up the difference by focusing in on other areas. It's going to take a great deal of diversity in the services you offer just to make a reasonable living. Right now we have it easy, but that's going to change eventually.

 

[red12049]

Personally I'm already "looking" for a 9 to 5 job. If the right opportunity presents itself at a place I know will still be around when I'm ready to retire I'm taking it. I'm in no hurry, but I see the writing on the wall. I don't want to be doing this in 10-15 years, middle aged, and trying to scrape by with whatever technical service opportunities emerge.

I've been doing this a long time, and every year it seems like it dawns on me how good it used to be. Computers used to be expensive so it was always worth repairing them. Technology moved so fast there were always great sales opportunities. In the era of Windows 9x malware removal was the majority of the income that was easy to rely on.

Computers are getting ridiculously cheap, and there will come a point where computers won't be much more than thin clients that are easy to swap in and out. Personal data/software will be stored in the cloud (I hate that term), and there will be no point in repairing them.

There may always be a need for people like us, but ask yourself if you could survive off 10% of what you make now. That's the future we're all looking at. You'll have to make up the difference by focusing in on other areas. It's going to take a great deal of diversity in the services you offer just to make a reasonable living. Right now we have it easy, but that's going to change eventually.

No guarantees, my friend. I'm 62. Of all the companies I worked for large and small before I went on my own (in my thirties), only ONE is still in existence.

Wonder if the folks who joined American Airlines or Kodak could predict what's happening right now?

Best advice anyone can have is to have your financial house in order, no matter what work you do.

Rick

 

[Dameize]

Well at 18 and only just going out into the world so to speak I think that computer repair is something still worth getting established in but i do accept it is somewhat saturated and I am going to need to be a bit of a jack of all trades e.g. phones, consoles etc. I know from people my age most are technology capable and my main point was those using our services now (probably 35+? (mainly)) will be almost gone in 20 years when im in my late thirties meaning those my age and younger will be capable of doing almost everything anyway and willl not need a tech.