I will preface this and truthfully say that my experiences as a technician are little compared to the men and women who have dedicated there life to this way of life.

However, being a network technician at a university has a certain stereotype that I would like to distinguish and rid of it once and for all.

I cannot help you with every electronic known to mankind. I apologize I cannot connect your printer to the wireless network; I just do not understand how it works. Is it something I can look into and find a solution a a couple days? Absolutely, but please refrain from telling any technician they they are useless because they are not printer wizards. In fact, it would be nice to us since we set up your wireless network and we know how to lower the strength of the signal in any room.

"Have you tried turning it on and off again?" Most computers have to reset before features are enabled or applied. Even if it is as simple as downloading a simple application, a technician will ask you to restart your computer/phone because of this reason. So the question may sound stupid and might come off disrespectful, but we are trying to help you. Just please take our advice; we work with computers almost all day.

The more information, the better. "My wifi signal stinks." Thank you, but that does not help us at all. What we need to know is exactly what does and what does not work. Are you connected to the correct network? Can you open your browser and search something? The more information you give us about the issue, the more apt we are to understand the problem and find a solution for it.

I apologize in advance for not having the ability to fix all the problems in your room, on your laptop, or your phone. However, I am trying every day to become an expert. If that means I have to learn how to build a TV from IKEA, I will because that one student needs it. Be calm and kind to the next IT person you run into because chances are they are actively trying to find answers and solutions to the same issues you are experiencing.