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  • Author Author: dougw
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Makers - The Missing Link

dougw

It is clear from the response to the "bit by the bug" blog that there are a lot of inspiring stories about how people became interested in technology.

Active members of the forum can all relate to many of the sentiments and motives expressed. We can all make a long list of reasons why people get involved and like maker/hobby electronics. But why are makers different from non-makers?

What is missing are big explanations about why more technical people don't get involved in maker/hobby electronics. Since they are not active on forums like this, their reasons are not published. I personally know many competent, hard working technicians, technologists and engineers, none of whom are active on element14 and very few are active technical hobbyists. If we want to know (and I do) why they are not interested enough to get involved, we need to ask them. I have done this, but the answers are not satisfactory. Usually the answer is along the lines of "I'm interested in doing personal projects, but I don't have time right now". Of course as life gets more complicated with age, there never will be time.

Here are some things I've noticed although there are many other possibilities:

  • non-makers always have other things they do with their spare time, but personal technical projects do not have enough priority to command any time
  • the lack of priority may sometimes be because hobby or maker projects do not have the same prestige as professional projects
  • projects don't just require time, they also require money and there are other things they would rather spend their money on
  • another sentiment seems to be work provides all the technical challenges they might need, spare time is needed to decompress rather than add more challenges
  • some people are perfectionists and if they don't have the best equipment, the prefect materials and the perfect design, they can't get started
  • there are always a long list of things to do with spare time and the guilt about not doing obligatory things prevents doing other things for fun
  • some people are too worried that their work will not be perceived as clever and high quality to want to publish it
  • some people do see forum activity as too competitive or judgmental and are demotivated by it

To some extent these types of issue affect all of us, but somehow makers find the motivation to persevere anyway.

If you have any insight into why some people are not interested in personal projects enough to be makers, feel free to let us know your theory or their answers.

The next question will be is there any way to alter priorities for such people?

  • in reply to dougw

    For me it was just being overwhelmed by the deep understanding of the process.

     

    When you are young and ignorant, you just do not appreciate how much time and effort is required to do a good job.

     

    As you gain experience you tend to psych yourself out by realizing that it take too much time to do the project and that you can now afford to just buy the project rather than design, build and test it.

     

    Sometimes you just know to much to be a good maker anymore.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to DAB

    One thing I have noticed is that when a hobby becomes a "job" the fun goes out of it - at least for some people. Maybe the office politics, drudgery and frustrating constraints that are associated with most jobs, sour the enthusiasm for pursuing it as a hobby.

  • I think prioritising spare time is probably a very significant one. I was watching Laura Vanderkam's TED talk on this issue the other day

    https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_vanderkam_how_to_gain_control_of_your_free_time

     

    Personally I'm trying to get back into the maker/hobby electronics after having spent the last 25 years over at 'the dark side' more commonly known as ICT. However spare time just appears to vanish these days.

     

    Other ones to add to your list might be: space, or lack of, for workshop facilities; workshop equipment, or lack of; and appearing to spend more time reading about the latest technology than getting more involved in the practical side of using it.

  • Good post Douglas.

     

    You identify a dilemma well know with all groups as to why everyone is not participating at the same level.

     

    I wish I had the answer.  I know a lot of marketing people would like an answer.

     

    All I can say is that it was not until I retired that I found Element 14 and realized that it was a good outlet for my technical knowledge and mentoring skills.

     

    In my experience, 35+ years, in technology is that only about 10% participate at all and of those 10%, only about 10% are really motivated to do more than just the minimum.

     

    So I think the numbers we see here at Element 14 are appropriate for an average group of technical folks.

     

    I would say that actual makers are more likely to blog as they like to show off their builds.

     

    DAB