I'm sure you do your own plumbing when your pipes have problems and fix your car when it breaks down. You probably even blow your own glass to repair a broken window, right?
Specialization is good, it helps society move forward, don't fight it.
Specialization is good, it helps society move forward, don't fight it.
While I might not be able to plumb a whole house, rebuild an engine, or blow my own glass there is immense value in being able to diagnose and solve basic problems with things that you interact with every day. Things like replacing a sink, installing a toilet, changing oil/tires, and even replacing a window pane not only can save you time and money. Both in the do-it-yourself sense, and in knowing enough about the problem to not get taken by someone offering a solution.
Isn't this the same kind of attitude we criticize many managers, executives, and normal people for having? Making decisions about anything without being educated enough to do it?
It's a very rewarding activity to research and learn how a complex thing like a car works, and then to apply your smarts to fixing it simply by reading books and the internet.
There is also something very rewarding to completing a job well, and being able to drive knowing you've fixed something yourself.
Other weekends I spend time fixing things around the house, or maybe tending to the garden.
Being an all-rounder is good for the soul and good for relating to other people.
Specialisation is for insects.
In the case of cars, for example, I can generally diagnose problems and perform standard repairs, but I leave transmission service, machining, etc to the professionals.
Besides, being able to fix something yourself gives you a sense of satisfaction that you just can't get from paying someone to do it.
I made a shoe cabinet recently - it had to be of a particular width. I spent about $200 on materials and it took me roughly 8 hours. I could say it cost me $1000 (let's say I get paid at $100/hr). I could also say it cost me nothing, as I might well have spent $200 to entertain myself otherwise. I also do most of my own plumbing - I find it fun.
One thing I noticed after doing DIY for many years: My DIY manual skills are way higher than those of my friends/family who do not do DIY. They find it rather hard to do simple tasks properly, like hammering in a nail, or driving in a screw.
Specialization is good. It can be taken too far.
Put it this way: in America, in the 21st century, you can safely operate a motor vehicle without knowing even the most basic tasks of repair, like putting on the spare tire. You pay some money to AAA every year, and when you _need_ them, they come and make things right.
Until you're out, and your cell phone is out of service. There you are, stuck, with the means of salvation at hand, but no idea how to save yourself.
So, sure, pay for AAA. I do. But one should also know how to do stuff for one's self.
Just in case.
Your car can "break down" for reasons as simple as blown fuses or low fluids. Having a working knowledge of basic auto mechanics can help you determine whether something is or is not a problem. Furthermore if the problem is simple you can fix it yourself instead of waiting for a tow, getting a taxi home and waiting for the repair shop to open in the morning.
But other things, like cars and drains, matter very little to me. So those are things I pay other people to do. For a car nut, learning about Jade 403 might be a waste of time when you can just buy a new book. But for me, that's pretty valuable.
Sewing is somewhere in the middle, and I've had friends do simple sewing projects for me, and that's been really useful.
I think the real worry isn't about whether someone knows how to replace a hard drive in a MacBook—the real worry is or should be people who seem to have no real skills at all.
Also, plate glass is rarely blown, but rather floated.
Haw. The second time, yes. First time I changed a faucet it was an hours-long, two trip to the hardware store, job.
Personally I've benefited greatly from learning how to fix my own hardware. My laptop of choice is the old T4x series Thinkpad for the ease of disassembly, repair, and wealth of information out there on sites like thinkwiki.org. It saddens me whenever I hear a computer scientist say (with a note of helplessness) that they're waiting on their laptop, it's in the shop.