5 Experts That Have Excellent Advice to Offer
Despite all the bad advice you can find online and the questionable advice from certain friends and family members, there are true experts out there who have solid advice to offer.
Here’s a list of 5 qualified experts whose professional knowledge is worth seeking when needed.
- Attorneys
When you need legal advice, it only makes sense to consult with an attorney. Most people misunderstand how laws work and being able to cite statutes word-for-word doesn’t necessarily mean their interpretation or analysis is correct.
For example, when facing DUI charges where you failed a field sobriety test and blew over the legal limit, a friend or family member might tell you not to bother with an attorney and plead guilty to speed up the process. This can be a huge mistake. An attorney might be able to get your case dismissed or reduce your charges if the police violated your rights.
Another common example is when people don’t understand the entirety of a law. For instance, many people believe that all landlords in the United States are required to accept service animals and make reasonable accommodations for disabled tenants under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Unfortunately, some landlords are exempt from the FHA and can legally deny a tenant for having a service animal and legally refuse to comply with accommodation requests.
The FHA exempts owner-occupied buildings with up to four units, single-family homes rented or sold without an agent, and housing offered by private clubs whose occupancy is limited only to members.
- Plumbers
There are so many things that can go wrong with plumbing installations, and if you’re not a licensed professional, there’s a big chance you’ll make mistakes. It’s better to consult a professional at the very least if you want to do your own plumbing work.
For example, Pex is an incredibly durable, flexible pipe that won’t rust or rot and is designed to withstand many freeze and thaw cycles. However, it deteriorates fast when exposed to UV light. Many people make the mistake of installing Pex in an outside building and then use UV heat lamps to keep the pipes warm in winter. Soon their pipes are crumbling and most never figure out why.
- Roofers
Your roof is supposed to protect you and your building from the elements, and roofers are the true experts in this field. If a reputable roofer says you need a new roof a chimney rebuild, or even just some tuckpointing, it’s a good idea to listen to them.
Roof repairs can get expensive, but that’s part of being a homeowner. If you ignore their advice, sooner or later your situation will worsen and you could end up with even more damage to repair.
- Electricians
Licensed electricians are highly knowledgeableand skilled individuals. There are many things you can learn on your own, but without formal training, a lot gets missed. Some of those things are important. For instance, a GFCI outlet requires the hot and neutral wires to be wired in specific holes. If the wiring is reversed, it won’t provide ground fault protection.
An unprotected outlet in a wet environment, like a bathroom or kitchen, can result in electrocution. The problem is that most DIYers don’t read the instructions and the print is so small on the outlet that backwards wiring is one of the most common self-taught mistakes.
Experienced electricians have encountered almost every possible electrical issue that might occur and will have solutions. Their advice will be much more accurate than someone who has been self-taught.
- Master chefs
While there’s no harm in making bland food, if you listen to master chefs regarding what ingredients to combine and how to make certain dishes, you’ll be amazed at how much it will up your cooking game.
For example, there is a difference between “cooking” ground beef and “browning” ground beef. When a dish calls for browning your beef, if you cook it, the dish won’t taste the same. Browning is a specific technique that takes effort to master, but once you do, you’ll never cook your beef again.
Nothing compares to genuine expertise
Although there are some exceptions, you’ll almost always get the best advice and most accurate information from licensed professionals in a given field. They’ve had to go through a rigorous process to earn their license, which means they know things self-taught people haven’t learned. In some cases, it’s not a big deal. However, if your safety or future are at stake, get advice from a professional to avoid unwanted consequences.
