Congratulations. You’ve got the job you always wanted. You weren’t the first guy on the block to have a computer before Windows ’95, but you were close. Now, without a computer, you wouldn’t have a job. But there’s a problem. Not everyone requires a computer to work, but everyone uses one. And since you know more about them than many people you know, you’ve earned the title of “Computer Guy”.

Sure, you want to be helpful, and it wouldn’t be a huge deal to remind someone that Ctrl+C will copy something and Ctrl+V will paste it, but why should you keep answering the same question time after time?

To many, the word google is a verb. But for many, the ability to search through the internet to get answers is a skill that needs improving. If they think the person next to them already knows the answer, you can’t blame them for asking. There’s something that face-to-face communication has to offer that Facebook will never be able to match. At the same time, you shouldn’t be required to give the same answer to the same question over and over, because then everyone’s time is wasted. If that’s the case, google.com doesn’t care about time, so it doesn’t care if you’re wasting it.

There may actually be people out there that think computers are magical devices with mystical gremlins that eat spreadsheets and break programs. They probably also think that with free WordPress templates or design mode in DreamWeaver, your job is as easy as typing an email. As a web developer, one of the first things I will do when working with someone new on a project is to pull up a web site, and show them the source code. I present it not to be condescending, but to show that while they see websites in their finished form, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. My work is to take care of the stuff behind the scenes so they see a finished product.

It doesn’t matter how technical your work may be. It doesn’t matter if you work with computer hardware or are a programmer. You’re still going to be working with people. If you can work well with them, everyone’s job is easier. For those who aren’t “Computer Guys”, just remember: Gremlins do not exist. You don’t have to take your car to a mechanic whenever you need to get gas; you search for a gas station and fill up yourself. But when there’s something that needs to be done under the hood, a good mechanic is your best friend. Besides, no one likes Captain Miffles.