Look, you’ve been through this before. So you should know by now whether you’ve got the patience to set up the new computer, digital camera or i-Pod that you’ll be giving or receiving as a gift this month.
For those who don’t, or would simply prefer to sit back and enjoy themselves while someone who knows what he’s doing tackles the job of physical set-up and software installation, computer whiz Dylan Barlett is home for the holidays and ready to lend a hand for a modest fee.
“A gift should make you feel good, not be a source of frustration,” says Barlett, a 20-year-old Little Silver resident. “I want to leave everyone with a stable computer they can use and enjoy.”
Dealing with this sort of stuff is second nature for Barlett. He started playing computer games when he was about 3, and before he was a teenager, he and his brother, Sean, were cobbling together hand-me-down hardware from their father’s consulting business.
A 2004 graduate of Red Bank Regional, Barlett’s now a junior at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., where he’s majoring in information systems engineering. He’s got a job on the help desk at the university library, troubleshooting computers for students, teachers and others. (“Our favorites are the retired faculty members and their spouses puttering on their computers,” he says. “They’re usually very polite and very appreciative when you get them back on track.”)
As an adolescent, Barlett was volunteering on computer and website fixes at the Monmouth County Arts Council. Last summer, he ran the non-betting computer operations for Monmouth Racetrack, a 75-user network. Top that, Geek Squad.
(Readers of redbankgreen’s ‘Where Have I Seen This‘ feature may recognize Dylan’s name, which has shown up a bunch of times as a first-to-get-it.)
Dealing with electronics technology, he says, “is something I’m good at, something other people have problems with, and something I can help people with.”
Barlett charges a flat $40 for a straightforward computer set-up, $50 for a “tune-up,” and an hourly rate of $50 for diagnostic work. He’s available through Jan. 12. Contact him by Email or phone at 908-770-6614.
