Oleg Epshteyn makes house calls in the area as a ‘certified nerd’ with Nerds To Go mobile computer service.
Chris Preovolos/Staff photo

A Nerd at Your Door

Greenwich Time

By Harold Davis
Special Correspondent

Oleg Epshteyn knew early on he wanted a career working with computers. Little did he know that he’d wind up being a “certified nerd,” Epshteyn’s dream job materialized after he saw a Nerds To Go van on the road one day.
“I saw the truck and it sounded like a good idea. I filled out an application and here I am,” said Epshteyn, the youngest nerd to work for the Guilford based company, whose employees are on call to fix recalcitrant computers.
Epshteyn services home-based and small business computers from Greenwich through Darien. He is among 27 mobile nerds dispatched throughout Connecticut.
What was your previous employment?
Before this, I was concentrating on school and I was doing some computer consulting for landscaping businesses and doctor’s offices on my own, part time.
How busy can you get during the week?
It varies. It could be five appointments a week or five appointments a day.

Have you been met with any big challenges on the job yet?
No, not really. I’ve been doing this for a while. There have been no big challenges just yet, but I welcome them. You can always learn something new.
What happens if there is a problem on the job?
If I have a bigger job and need help, I can call on one of the other nerds close by. If another nerd needs my help, I can even go upstate.
What are some problems that you commonly run into?
Most common are virus and spyware removal. Wireless integration and systems analysis are the second most common.
How does working for a company differ from working for yourself?
It’s much harder to do it by yourself. Working with a company, you get to combine ideas and help a company grow.

What do think you bring to the position?
I think that I’m good with customers and good with technology. I like to make the customer feel comfortable with the service – translate the nerd talk to common language that the user can understand.
What education did you acquire before your career?
I went to Uconn for computer science and switched to network administration and got my bachelor’s degree at AIU (American International University) online.
Are estimates done over the phone or are they done on site?
To make a complete diagnostic, I have to be on site. It’s $99 fee for that, but if the customer goes with the service we don’t charge them that fee.
Is the price based on the hour or by the job?
It’s a flat rate depending on the job. We let the customer know up front.
What are the future plans with the company?
I hope to stick with the company and help make them become the Starbucks of computer service.

At work with…
Name: Oleg Epshteyn
Company: Nerds To Go
Title: ‘Certified nerd’ and service technician
Age: 22
Web site: www.nerdstogo.com