phone breakdown, you'd probably be worried about finding an honest and reliable technician to fix it. There are not many of them around and that's why Basheer Al-Fadel Al-Basheer, a 29-year old Sudanese electronic technician in Taif, is very much in demand. Basheer holds a diploma in science and technology from his home country. He took to repairing mobiles because, “men, women or children –everyone has mobiles these days,.” He said he can repair all kinds of mobiles. “But I am an expert in Nokia as they are most popular and their spare parts are easily available in the market.” In Taif, Basheer in well known as an efficient and trustworthy repairman – trustworthy because there are many ways an unscrupulous mobile technician can fool you or access your private data.. Basheer has this to say about precautions to take when giving your mobile for repair: “Make sure to remove your memory card from your mobile before leaving it with the technician, so that they cannot access your personal numbers or pictures. Also, tally the serial numbers on the external sticker with that on the inner board of your phone as some corrupt technician might replace the inner board with a fake one. Basheer said he has carved out a satisfying career for himself, and that others should consider it too, considering its bright prospects. But what are the requisites of the career? “A certified diploma or degree from an institute, plus some on-hand experience, apart from motivation to learn new things, is all that one requires,” he said. Basheer said he is willing to teach Saudi youth interested in the profession. “I trained two men and they are doing well singularly in their shop,” he said. “I am not selfish or greedy. They will earn a good income from this business.” He said no high-tech equipments are required to repair cell phones. “A screw driver and electrometer will do the trick.” Learning technical work can open self-employment opportunities for the youth, as they can start with their own service shops. Basheer said women should also embark on learning these skills and can work from home. He offered a tip for those who have drooling infants at home: “Keep mobiles away from them as their saliva can damage the key pad. __
