Most of you reading this column right now are UW-Madison students, and like me, you probably keep quiet when your friends from back home talk about how difficult college classes are. You don't need anybody to tell you how smart you are, especially not somebody who is attending Stout or Oshkosh.
Now before somebody gets upset and fires an e-mail in my direction, attending any university is a great feat in and of itself. I'm just saying, as a UW-Madison student, you should feel proud that you attend the best Wisconsin public university.
Madison students are gifted in many aspects of life. You have probably been fostered to share your gifts with the world by your parents, but I must warn you that one day your gift may transform you into social prey.
I would consider myself to be quite computer savvy. I've built computers since I was 14, and a few years ago I started my own retail point-of-sale business. I made one huge mistake, though; I let my friends know I was knowledgeable about computers.
Though I love to help people, it's somewhat annoying when your dorm-floor chum pounds on your door at 1 a.m. because he needs help burning a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 for his girlfriend so she can write a 10-page essay by that following afternoon.
Six monkeys would not have nearly enough fingers and toes to count how many times I've helped somebody re-install their printer driver file or adjust the margins in their Word document.
However, I do feel relief in knowing I'm not the only one out there who succumbs to this predacious fate.
An auto mechanic friend of mine is often asked for advice on how to troubleshoot a car problem. The man makes a living fixing cars, the last thing he wants to do at the end of the day when his bones ache, his back is stiff and he's covered in grease is help more people fix their cars for free.
All of the accounting majors out there better keep quiet once March hits, or else you too will be asked by your friends how to file a tax return and what the heck a W-2 is.
I am often happy enough to lend assistance to friends in need because of the saying, 'What are friends for'? Once in a while, though, you have that certain friend who only calls when they need to borrow your talent.
Nobody is perfect, and where would this world be without kindness and friendship? The next time you need a two-hour lesson on calculus, need an English major to read over your 20-page thesis, have 300 spyware programs deleted from your PC or want to be taught the inter-workings of quantum mechanics, please be a friend.
Even though you are a talented UW-Madison student, please realize that someday you might also be asking your talented friends for help. Thank them, bake them cookies or buy them a beer. Just show your appreciation so people will keep sharing their gifts.
