First Draft:
Subculture: PC Enthusiast/Graphics Card
When interviewing Wander I had the opportunity to, touch base on what he finds most important when it comes to his subculture. Being someone who prefers to learn from others and is open to maybe finding interest in other fields rather than excluding myself from different opportunities. I was able to be more open about my personal experiences, establish my own thoughts based on the subculture, and ask questions that really dug deep into what someone’s lifestyle can look like in the subculture.
I started off the interview by asking him simple questions like what is your name? Wander: “Wander”. Where were you born? And do you speak your native language? Wander: “I was born in the Dominican Republic, and yes I do speak my native language Spanish”. I then went on and asked a question that touched based on the topic of the pandemic, and if his academic or personal life was positively or negatively affected. Was your academic and personal life negatively or positively affected during the pandemic? If so how? Wander: “My academic was negatively affected because I’m not really an online type of learner when it comes to observing and distinguishing information. I’m the type of learner who wants to be in person and physically engaged with the teacher. My personal life actually got better through the pandemic. I was able to pick up new hobbies and a job. I started to be more appreciative of money and family. I also started to value the little things in life”.
Now that I had constructed a better overview of who he is inside and outside of school, I wanted to know what his career path could look like after graduating college and what he’s planning or doing to get there. What is your major? Do your future goals pertain/relate to your major? If not what are they? (personal goals). Wander: “I am majoring in business and economics and considering minoring in management and/or computer science. Preferably my career doesn’t have to be in relation to business. Really my only goal is getting through college successfully, gaining knowledge, and being better at financial accountability”.
When it came to discussing Wander’s subculture I noticed that he was really passionate about his topic. I was able to listen in on how his passion came to be. As a kid around the age of 12 or 15, Wander’s step-father had offered him to fix his computer in exchange for $200. Which to him was an amazing deal “just to fix a computer” Wander said. This experience allowed him to use his talent to help others and gain from it financially. Those opportunities lead him to become a PC Enthusiast (subculture). I asked him if he could briefly describe what PC Enthusiast is. Wander: “It’s a hobby that I’ve been doing for 2 years. I pretty much build a PC, then plan out how it’s gonna look, and sell it for a better price. First I process the sources I need and the physical terms, then I determine how much I’m gonna sell it for. It’s all about going through the process of trials and tribulation to reach your success”. These choices of words were very inspiring since I was able to understand how it all started.
Final Draft:
Subculture: PC Enthusiast/Graphics Cards
When interviewing Wander I had the opportunity to, touch base on what he found most important when it came to his subculture. Being someone who prefers to learn from others and is open to maybe finding interest in other fields. Rather than excluding myself from different opportunities. I was able to be more open about my personal experiences, establish my own thoughts based on the subculture, and ask questions that really dug deep into what someone’s lifestyle can look like in the subculture.
On March 17, 2022, at 10 am on a rainy day, Wander and I were in a well-lit, empty, spacious class conducting our interview. The first thing I noticed about him was, that he was taller than me, maybe around 6 to 7 inches, and brawny built considering I’m 5’3. He was wearing grey sweats, a hoodie with black, grey, and or red colors on them I can’t really vividly remember. His hair was in a quiff style with tapered sides and he had a heavy stubble beard. His eyes were almond-shaped, his eye color was dark brown. He had full lips and had medium-toned skin. And his voice was husky and a bit louder than I expected. I started off the interview by asking simple questions to get to know him better, “My name is Wander, and I was born in the Dominican Republic, and I speak both English and Spanish” he said loudly. Knowing how hectic the pandemic has been for the past three years from the different changes and adapting that everyone had to face, I wanted to know how he handled the drastic change. “My experience was in-between, because of the unusual changes my academic wasn’t doing as well as I would’ve liked it too. But my personal life did get better since I developed a better bond with my family and build a better PC reconstructing business for myself”.
When Wander and I were discussing his subculture I noticed that he was really passionate about his topic. I was able to listen in on how his passion came to be. As a kid around the age of 12, Wander’s step-father had offered him to fix his computer in exchange for $200. Which to him was an amazing deal. “Just to fix a computer” Wander said with a questionable tone. This experience allowed him to use his talent to help others and gain from it financially. Opportunities like that lead him to become a PC Enthusiast. In the process of listening to his childhood story, I saw that he had a smile on his face, his voice getting lighter, and he was using his hands more often when talking. I thought to myself, he really seemed appreciative towards his step-father.
It takes a lot of determination, dedication, and patience to step into the field of Tech. There are many challenges and competitions that you go through until you reach your level of comfortability. There are some restrictions that Wander had to overcome to obtain these graphic chips in order to continue his personal business. “ To even get your hands on the latest graphic chips you need to know people not just anyone”. With a humorous tone Wander explained to me that he would ask his friends and/or family to wait in long lines and even stay overnight for him. Exactly at the location where the graphic chips were available to hold his spot when they had the chance to. “And even then, not everyone would get them. Theirs really was only a limited amount”. So you can really only hope you are one of the lucky people. I was astonished when I heard this. People really dedicate their time just to own “the latest” gadgets or materials. I really wanted to know why these graphic chips were so important that people, would even stay on the line for ten-plus hours. “Well, it’s more than that” Wander said hysterically. A GPU (Graphics processing unit)/ graphic chip is the most important part for gamers, engineers, and PC users. A graphic card allows your computer to process amazing hardware, gaming, and picture display. “Knowing this, I can see why my brothers love gaming” I laughed. With a respectful tone, I expressed my own opinion, “I’ve always had my own biases towards the idea of taking gaming as a serious career”. Now understanding that that’s how some people make money and that there are people who are professionalized to help others, does sway my opinion more.
“I’ve had my days of imperfection and weariness”. Wander explained the emotions that would run through his head when he is in the process of fixing or installing the graphic chip on the GPU computer. It’s like your doing a surgical procedure and your client depends on you to fix their computer. In a nervous tone, “once you get to the most important part you have to be delicate,” he said. Even to this day, that’s the scariest part of his job, and he dreads to fail ever fail in it.
Wander has noticed that, many of his clients aren’t as impressed with the work he’s doing/done. “Anyone can go into the work I’m doing, especially the ones who can benefit from it, but they just choose to have professionals do it for them”. When it’s time to pay, in Wander’s experience he gains financial revenue from it but for the clients, they lose their funds. “They kinda see me as the bad guy and I feel them, but it’s my job at the end of the day,” he said with a soft tone. But I don’t blame him. It isn’t easy getting the required products.
Conducting this interview was, a new experience for me but it was fun. I actually felt relevance towards Wander’s subculture. Even though I had my own mixed feelings when it came to uncovering the importance that people should hold on graphic cards, and tech-related occupations or products. I was able to conduct a similar experience that I’ve fallen custom to when it came to, “price is what you pay and value is what you get”-Arthur Schopenhauer.
