Buying a new Gaming PC

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by manasecret

By your own admission you wouldn't have. You would have done, what? Fixed a leak in bathroom sink, or painted your house, or cleaned up, or some other household chore? Talk about useless knowledge and skills, yet I bet you don't pay someone to do most or any of your housework, am I right?

Again, we're talking about opportunity cost. It would cost me about $300 to pay a plumber clear a clogged drain line (not a sink, a main line). Takes me about an hour or less to do it myself.

Having someone build my PC costs me $100, and saves me 6-8 hours (likely).

Economically, it makes sense for me to clear my own drain AND pay someone to build my PC. Then again, if I needed to replace plumbing it may pay me to hire someone. It all depends on the cost vs. time equation. We make these tradeoffs everyday (and it keeps McDonalds in business).

Secondly, I think you're still arguing the wrong point. Computers rule the work world. It's not like you're learning how to change the brakes in your car, which for most people does not supplement their work knowledge. Instead you have just lost a great opportunity to pull yourself ahead of everyone else in the market doing your job. I don't know the economic term for it, but I know the worth of that knowledge is far more than $100.

What I know is that every time I even think about "fixing" a PC at work the OPs department smacks me on the back of the head and tells me to "cut the shit". Tech people don't want me to fix a computer. That's what they're paid to do. I'm paid to teach and provide consultation. This is another important economic concept called "specialization" that creates efficiencies and wealth.