The trouble with providing a free service depends on which side you're on...

If you're the service provider, you'll grumble upon the customers you'll get. Of course, there's the added incentive of learning new stuff that you get to learn only if you pay somebody else. There's the added incentive of walking off anytime you're fed up with the customers you get, if you're volunteering, and the motivation of getting good rewards if you serve the customers with dedication, single-mindedness and focus.

If you're the customer, you ask, or in certain instances, demand for everything imaginable.

I've been on both sides of the fence, learning everything needed to balance the equation. It's probably time now to learn how I get more out of the current arrangement.