Most IT departments expand or contact based on the projects and technology desired or even required by any given company. There are very good times and very bad times for most computer repair technicians. I know, I’ve been in the Computer Repair business both as a contractor, self-employed or even as a fulltime employee for over 30 years.

The best way to deal with these up and downs in available work is to have a solid fall back plan that allows you to prosper in either situation. Computer Repair is a huge market in both commercial and individual areas.

Computers break, software confuses and disorients many people. That’s a fact. Although the user interfaces are becoming more friendly, the technology necessary to make them work is getting more and more complex. Throw in the Wild West style of the Internet and you have a perfect scenario for someone with the proper skills to make money full or part time.

But where most “techies” get into trouble is in both the day-to-day business requirements and selling and marketing their services. People skills are also important when running your own company. If you watch any movie about computers and software, and the folks who really understand them, they paint a pretty sad picture of the individuals involved.

It’s not quite that bad, but there are many facets that are true. Large IT departments often have an attitude that they are smart and everyone else is dumb. This type of environment is not a good training ground for the self-employed. In fact, it’s not a good thing for anyone, the department or the clients they serve.

Never the less, that less than good attitude is there and predominate. I was fortunate early on in my career to have a mentor who truly understood the fact that the only reason the IT department exists is to serve the rest of the company. Many IT folks never get that salient fact.

The successful computer repair business owner must know how to sell and market their services to both individuals and small business owners. They should also have some good people skills, because every computer has an operator. And many of the common computer repairs have to do with the individual between the chair and the keyboard.

Doing freelance computer repair work can be very profitable on both a part or full time basis. You’re selling knowledge and time for the most part. Sometimes hardware is involved but over half the service calls have to do with software, configuration, and problem solving.

So no matter what the computer repair technician jobs situation is, you can supplement or even replace your income by selling your self. The tax benefits alone can be a huge advantage. Being somewhat of a geek myself, I love being able to buy the high tech toys and getting to take a deduction since most items directly apply to my job.

So with the addition of a few new skills (business marketing and people), any computer repair technician can make some good money part or fulltime. So what kind of money is possible doing computer repair work?

Well, lets say you want to start out slow and just make some extra money for a great vacation, new toy, or college tuition for the kids. If you just do about 10-12 hours of part time work a month, only charge minimal amount ($50 an hour instead of the going $75), you can make an extra $7200 a year.

Maybe you save another $2-$4K in taxes, which gives you another $1,000 cash. So that’s quite a little jolt to the household budget for whatever. And if you should get a pink slip, for whatever reason, you could even crank up the part-time business to help fill the gap.

Of course the trick is acquiring those new skills. That’s where I might be able to help you out. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been in the computer repair business for a long time. During those fun filled years I’ve developed both marketing and business practices directly related to the computer repair business.

I’ve compiled all the information into one big package that teaches and provides many marketing and business operating tools. Everything from a basic website, to software, and even marketing materials. This is not some general business guide. Every piece of information, every software tool, and marketing piece applies to a computer repair business.

And all of the material has proven to be successful in own computer repair business. There is no theory here, just proven successful methods I use everyday. If you want ot find out more, click on the link below.

So if you are looking for computer repair technician jobs, you might want to consider hiring yourself. I don’t know of any other business that you can start for less money or has a larger target audience.

Risk assessment is done by the actuaries. These are the math wonks who collect details of every accident reported in the US. This is not just the data from claims on vehicle insurance. This is every incident reported to the police, attended by the firefighters or ambulance crews, or dealt with through claims on health insurance. Put all this together and the actuaries can tell you the probability of an accident in any make and model of vehicle, given its color, whether it was fitted with any additional features, who it was driven by, the time of day or night, whether the driver and passengers were badly injured, so on. Yes, it’s that detailed. Turning this around, if you drive a vehicle that’s statistically unlikely to be involved in an accident or stolen, your premium will be lower than average. Put a safe driver in a safe car and the chances of the insurer having to pay out are small and the profit is higher. Everyone is happy. So how do you find out which are the safest vehicles with the lowest premium rates? Well, you start with http://www.safercar.gov/, a site run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This allows you to get the safety ratings from all the tests carried out by the NHTSA. There’s a guide published at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20Safety/Articles/Associated%20Files/2009_Insurance_Costs_Comparison.pdf which is also helpful. Finally, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety publishes its own list of safe vehicles at http://www.iihs.org/ratings/

The safer the vehicle you drive, the greater the discount on the premium rate. So when you are filling out the questionnaire for those auto insurance quotes, aim to have a safe vehicle. If you vehicle is not safe and you cannot afford to change it, try to upgrade it by fitting safety features. Look at the questions asked in the questionnaire and talk to insurance agents to find out what features save the most money. Similarly, fit better locks and any systems making your vehicle more difficult to steal. Anything you can do to reduce the risk of a claim will be reflected in low rates in the auto insurance quotes you receive.

• be a new driver;
• have been involved in multiple traffic accidents;
• have been convicted of driving while under the influence or other serious offenses; or
• have had you license suspended and/or your previous insurance cancelled.

The second rule is always to tackle the problem honestly. It is pointless to lie about your record. Even if the lie goes undetected when you buy the policy, every company makes thorough checks once a claim is made. If your dishonesty turns up, the company will cancel the policy and you will be left with no indemnity against the claim. Be open about your high-risk status and get two sets of quotes using the online search engines. You should aim to compare the prices on general policies with the premiums charged by the companies offering special policies for drivers with poor records. The bad news is the majority of general insurers will refuse to quote or quote high premiums. These are the companies only writing policies for people aged between 25 and 70 who have never had an accident in their lives. The quotes you get are still useful because you find out which is the lowest of the high quotes. The good news is there are a small number of companies offering a specialised service to high risk drivers. Ask for high risk auto insurance or nonstandard auto insurance and get their quotes.

The third rule is to improve your driving ability and record. If you are a new driver or have recently had a serious accident, go through one of the advanced driving courses approved by local insurance companies. Successful completion usually entitles you to a discount. You then have to put all you best driving skills into practice and drive without collecting tickets and getting into accidents. The longer your license stays clean, the lower your premium will be. Sadly, it takes years to remove the negative marks from your record but, once you have proved you are a good driver, you will be rewarded.

The final rule to find every possible discount to bring the premium down. Drive a low-powered vehicle only at low-risk times of the day and avoid driving long distances. Fit safety features to your vehicle and store it off the road at night. You may not end up with really cheap auto insurance, but it should be reasonably affordable. In any event, cheap auto insurance is often bad value for money. It’s always better to find good coverage at a price you can afford.