Rant: That one stranger at the bus stop changed how I ask for help

Last Tuesday I was waiting for the 72 bus near downtown Portland, totally stuck on how to word a question for this online community about asking better questions. A guy maybe 70 years old saw me staring at my phone and said 'you look like you're trying to solve a puzzle, not catch a bus.' I laughed and told him I was overthinking how to ask for advice without sounding needy. He said 'just be honest about what you don't know and what you've already tried. People like helping people who show they've done their homework.' That stuck with me because I usually try to sound like I know more than I do. Next time I posted, I wrote exactly what I'd tried and where I got stuck, and got way better replies. Has anyone else had a random person give you advice that actually worked better than all the online tutorials?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mia1mo ago

Did the guy also offer to age your whiskey or give stock tips? In my experience, the best advice usually comes from people who look like they're on their way to a yard sale.

the_mason1mo ago

Yeah but see @sanchez.mia, I gotta respectfully disagree with you here. I met this dude at a car show once who looked like he just rolled out of bed and hadn't showered in three days, wearing this stained flannel and sandals with socks. But he walked me through how to fix a carburetor issue on my old Mustang that three shops couldn't figure out. Sometimes the scruffy guys are the ones who actually do the work themselves instead of just reading about it online.