FARK.com: (394820) Become a doctor or a lawyer and your relatives will prey on you forever

If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

		Become a doctor or a lawyer and your relatives will prey on you forever (smh.com.au)		138
		More: Obvious

• • •

6756 clicks; posted to Main » on 02 Jan 2003 at 3:05 PM | Favorite | share:

Share this link:

URL:

http://fark.com/go/394820

Bookmark:

Article Comments close

138 Comments (+0 »)

Archived thread

First | « | 1 | 2 | 3 | » | Last | Show all

Skwidd		2003-01-02 12:09:28 PM

Even the military is no exception. "Derek's home! Tax-free cigarettes for everybody!"

Fortunately, there isn't much else I can do for them...legally.

WickedWanda		2003-01-02 12:41:26 PM

Hell, in my family it's bad enough just being computer literate.

"Hey, Wanda, how can I pull up that picture of Aunt Ivy?"

Don't you just love that phrase pull up?

jay_vee		2003-01-02 12:55:10 PM

I hear you there Wanda. I have a Mac sitting on my spare-room floor, kindly temporarily donated by my Dad, who wants it back with all the software installed on a clean OS. I don't remember ever telling him that this is what I do for fun.

Weaps		2003-01-02 02:21:44 PM

Yeah, no shiat on that one. I'm the tech support person for my parents. My father works for the same farking software company that I work for and he's friggin' technical support for our own software so you'd think he'd have a clue. NOT! Mom gets my dad a CD-ROM burner for Christmas because she likes the one that I installed for HER a few months ago. Sure enough dad's computer is sitting in my office with a new burner in a box next to it. Pretty simple eh? Of course not. Dad had to go and buy a Dell that some nimrod design genious decided to equip with a FRIGGIN' IDE FLOPPY DRIVE. So between the main drive, the existing CD-ROM and the extra hard drive he had me install weeks earlier all the IDE ports are used up. What was supposed to be a simple plug-it-in-check-bios-and-go operation now turns into me finding a regular floppy drive and reverse engineering it into this proprietary Rube-Goldberg floppy housing contraption that Dell had decided to use during one of their LSD enhanced design meetings.

I use and like Linux and all, but there is no farking way I would advocate them using it, for them it's Microsoft and AOL all the way just to minimize my parents tech support needs.

"No, Mom, listen: you need to CALL DELL and get THEIR people to tell you how to fix it. No, I don't know why your monitor is flickering, CALL DELL and have them send you a new one. No it is NOT a good idea to download 127 megabytes from your client using a dial-up connection have them send you a CD."

BeastlyBitt		2003-01-02 03:08:39 PM

bill cosby is a doctor on the cosby show..

oldnbusted		2003-01-02 03:09:08 PM

Papa's in the porn bidness. Free creampies for all!!!! MERRY XXXMAS!!

R		2003-01-02 03:09:41 PM

In my three years as a Computer Sciences major at my school, I have learned to NEVER tell anyone my real major. They assume because the word "Computer" is in my major that I actually know something about computers. It's a shame since the major really isn't about computers.

So what I did to resolve the problem is to tell people, who ask for my major, that I'm in Asian Studies. Works like a charm.

How that's related to that article, oh I dunno...

LawTalkingGuy		2003-01-02 03:10:06 PM

Yeah my in-laws were a little sour that I wouldn't do their will for them even when I explained quite rationally that it would be unethical of me to draft a will under which I would benefit (by virtue of wifey taking 1/2 their estate.)

pr2		2003-01-02 03:10:21 PM

BeastlyBitt: how did you know that? did you see his black bag?

etymxris		2003-01-02 03:10:35 PM

Don't be such a moaner. I have a CS degree, and so people ask me computer questions all the time. I'm more than happy to help. If you're parents ask you to take frivilous cases or barrage you with frivilous questions, just tell them how frivilous their intentions are.

randyrat		2003-01-02 03:10:46 PM

screw what. Become a network admin and suddenly everyone expects you to fix their damn computers.

ProvenItchFighter		2003-01-02 03:12:26 PM

Poor...poor lawyers. They give, give, give and this is all they get back...parents asking them to do stuff. Hey quit whining and slap a restraining order on Mom and Pop if they're such a burden. I'm sure the cheapskates didn't kick in to the college fund. Bah! Rant over.

bass555		2003-01-02 03:12:36 PM

I knew that History degree would pay off...Hardly anyone ever asks me about the trials and tribulations of Mad King Ludvig of Bavaria

Nightsweat		2003-01-02 03:12:42 PM

I'm a computer geek and my sweetie's a doctor. We can't go to a party without at least one of us getting cornered.

She tells the intrusive types who ask about anything that it's cancer, or she asks if they're also experiencing genital warts in an ever-so-slightly too loud voice. I tell everyone to look for the answer on Google, or I brain spatter them by going geek and using any obscure computer TLA I can until they get tired of it.

After a half hour or so, we're usually free to enjoy the party.

TommyymmoT		2003-01-02 03:12:44 PM

Weaps: That was too damn funny. I'm dyin' here. Tell Mom to change the refresh rate.

Sooprmncntwlk		2003-01-02 03:13:22 PM

Best. Cousin. Ever.

Nightsweat		2003-01-02 03:13:49 PM

I'm sticking to the assertion that ASSFACE_JACKSON is a bot.

DoubleGGuy		2003-01-02 03:14:40 PM

"Become a doctor or a lawyer and your relatives will prey on you forever, says Jacki Maxton, who wishes she was an actuary. "

An actuary? No! No! Don't do it! You will die of boredom!
I could rant on this subject for hours, but I won't. Just believe me if you have even slightly considered such a career path.

Sooprmncntwlk		2003-01-02 03:15:41 PM

Rain_maker		2003-01-02 03:17:05 PM

Not a problem for me....
I'm paying my own way through law school and I was, in the words of our family doctor, "one of the easiest labours he's ever seen."

Of course, I can also depend on my parents not being legally insane, as the parents of the author obviously are.
I guess its not only kids who can go their entire lives without hearing the word 'no' from their family. Get a backbone!

Oh ya....I'm new. Hello all farkers.

skinink		2003-01-02 03:17:09 PM

I never have this problem. I told my parents I'm a mop person at a peep show theatre. They won't even let me clean the bathroom. What am I gonna do, jizz all over the shower curtain ?

GoodyearPimp		2003-01-02 03:17:20 PM

Hmmm...bunch of IT nerds asked to be tech support...and they congregate on fark...whodathunkit?

Don't worry, I get the same...I feel for the writer tho. Then again, unless you're actually defending them in court or performing the incisions, there's nothing quite like not being able to fix your folks computer.

bass555		2003-01-02 03:17:20 PM

Can anyone see this post?

onepcwiz		2003-01-02 03:17:49 PM

"You might not have realised this, but in your parents' eyes the main purpose of whatever career you choose is to provide them with a lifetime of freebies."

That's utter Bullshiat... I happen to have had parents who actually wanted me to be happy.. I somehow doubt that's the exception...

Zaphod42		2003-01-02 03:17:57 PM

My brother is a docotor and his wife is a PA. I was a computer tech. He calls me far more often than I call him.

There are many skills where this is a problem. It's not limited to doctors, lawyers, and computer geeks. Just about anyone who can fix things be it your plumbing, your car, your roof, your body or criminal record.

suseJ		2003-01-02 03:18:32 PM

Hmmm... maybe this explains why my parents are so poor but madly insist that they pay for every penny of my law school and heavily object every time i try to get a job

thirdrail		2003-01-02 03:18:48 PM

Bass555, yes I see I see

choochoobear		2003-01-02 03:19:14 PM

interesting how many people here have the same issue, i.e. parents who need help with their computers... i was going to say the same thing, but looks like i've been beaten to the punch... several times

ProvenItchFighter		2003-01-02 03:19:41 PM

It's really time to put a stop to ASSFACE_JACKSON...The posts are so full of cutting edge subversive humor that I cannot concentrate on anything else. Man oh man I can't hardly wait for the next ASSFACE comment.

TheAnusThatAteManhattan		2003-01-02 03:20:09 PM

01-02-03 03:10:35 PM Etymxris
Don't be such a moaner. I have a CS degree, and so people ask me computer questions all the time. I'm more than happy to help. If you're parents ask you to take frivilous cases or barrage you with frivilous questions, just tell them how frivilous their intentions are.

A friendly word of adive Etymxris. Learn how to say NO, how to make sure it's understood, and how to stick by it.

I love helping out folks who need help with their computer problems. Nothing pisses me off more than a pastey-faced nerd saying, "RTFM!" to someone with an honest question. That said, you WILL be taken advantage of.

It's like being a mechanic. Everyone expects you to work on their car for free. Hell, some of them even expect free parts as well. Same thing with computers. Sadly, family and friends - the two groups who SHOULD be more sensitive - are the worst offenders.

I've built a few machine for family/friends before and it's something I'll never do again. I've actually really hurt one of my friends because I flat out refused to build him a system. I told him I'd answer any questions, help him pick out a good off the shelf system, and even go with him when he purchased it, but NO on the build. I explained why but he was still a bit hurt. Much later - after he saw what I was going through with a couple of the machines I built that are still alive out there - he understood.

Watch yourself my friend.

cymtex		2003-01-02 03:20:18 PM

"You know that Lloyd Braun is the Mayor's assistant!"

Nightsweat		2003-01-02 03:20:41 PM

So can you ban bot-boy yet?

thirdrail		2003-01-02 03:20:48 PM

I don't mind people wanting me to look at their computers. It's just the ones that think I can perform some miracle on an old crappy 486.

ISeeYourDisease		2003-01-02 03:21:33 PM

Don't choose the same profession as your parents either, they will bug you forever trying to discuss the latest developments in the field.

Sooprmncntwlk		2003-01-02 03:22:39 PM

Best. Cousin. Ever.

madnova11		2003-01-02 03:22:42 PM

No one in my family extended family really talks to me or cares about my BA in Political science and history but when they heard I got into law school everyone of them asked for free legal advice and I haven't even started school yet just been accepted! I told them I can't help them because I won't take the bar in Massachusetts(where they all live). They all looked at me wierd for a minute then kept asking questions about stupid lawsuits and people they want to sue. I can see more of them needing a criminal lawyer in the future for stuff like DUI than litigation.

Flignir		2003-01-02 03:23:06 PM

Hey, Skwidd, speaking of being in the military, have you been shuffled around since the build-up for Iraq has begun?

P.S. It's an honor to have made your profile, sir.

Ant		2003-01-02 03:23:09 PM

Don't you just love that phrase pull up?

Oh yeah, I love it! What the hell does it mean anyway?

bass555		2003-01-02 03:23:42 PM

ThirdRail: Thanx! (Phew!)

Actually, my friends who not vocationally challenged (electricians, plumbers, etc.) seem to get bothered by their friends and family quite a bit

On a related note, my friend who is an electrician makes way more than the lawyer I used to work for...

TheAnusThatAteManhattan		2003-01-02 03:24:09 PM

Thirdrail - Besides doorstops and boat anchors, 486's actually make very decent routers.

I personally use Freesco. Runs VERY fast even on a 486 with as little as 8MB of RAM and even has a LPR print server. Runs off floppy, but if you throw in a hard drive it can also function easily as a file/mp3 server or whatever you like.

Very nice way of using those old otherwise useless systems.

filth		2003-01-02 03:24:13 PM

Skwidd, I've got a friend who never brings his family presents from deployments and can barely be bothered to give them Christmas gifts because the first time they complained, he told them that he had brought them freedom and asked what they got for him.

creeto		2003-01-02 03:24:25 PM

My brother's an auto mechanic. As if working 60+ hours during the week is bad enough, everyone wants him to work on their cars on the weekend. No wonder he moved to Illinois!

doctechnical		2003-01-02 03:25:50 PM

I think I'll chime in with the other side of the "family geek" coin. Long story short: a couple of years ago I got a really nasty infection in my leg, spent ten days in the hospital and four weeks on the couch. During that time my mom cleaned my house, cooked my meals, did my shopping, got my medicine, fed the cats (and cleaned their litterboxes), took care of insurance paperwork - essentially, everything short of wiping my rear (one thing I was able to do on my own, thank God).

So, does mom get great tech support? Damn skippy she does. 24x7, any time, any where, any problem, I'm there. Which is a tiny drop in the karma bucket next to what she's done for me.

I guess I'm just lucky.

etymxris		2003-01-02 03:25:51 PM

TheAnusThatAteManhattan: I never have a problem with it. If the problem sounds complicated, and I don't have the time to look at it, then I'll say so. People understand. But usually, the question or problem is really easy.

Setting up someone's machine is an adventure. It's something I love to do. It seems like many here got into technology without actually enjoying what they do. To pick a profession you don't enjoy is a mistake.

Rodeodoc		2003-01-02 03:26:34 PM

Damn parents. All they do is raise you, feed you, educate you, shelter you... then they want you to write up their wills. Sue the farktards! What the hell did you become a lwayer for if you can't sue your parents? Whiny biatch needs her ass whipped. Oh, that's the other thing. Your parents wiped your shaitty little arse until you learned to do it yourself.

Rain_maker		2003-01-02 03:26:46 PM

madnova11:
I hear ya. Apparently everyone I know thinks I'm a criminal procedure MASTER...and I'm in my first year. I just use the response that "as a student member of the bar association in 'this province' I can't ethically provide legal advice" or the ever popular, "don't know/don't care/can't help you/no."

WithaK		2003-01-02 03:26:52 PM

This is probably true for any skilled labor.

I don't mind helping my family with their computers but it seems like my parents never seem to remember what I told them last. Now they have XP which I don't know anything about so I guess I'm off the hook.

LawTalkingGuy		2003-01-02 03:27:15 PM

IseeYourDisease Good call on the same profession as your folks thing. It sucks when your pops thinks it's an absolute travesty that you can't answer his question, even though he only knows it because he just spent a week researching it. ("What are they teaching in law school these days??")

Madnova Get used to it and good luck! Tell Pennoyer I say hello.

spidre		2003-01-02 03:28:15 PM

I tinker with PC's as a hobby... and wooo was it a bad idea to let my best friend's dad know... sheesh.

My parents hate computers and think they are spawns of the devil... so I really dont have to worry about them asking me for tech support.