I want a job building DESKTOP computers and doing hardware replacement on DESKTOP computers but can't seem to find places that still do that?

There is no skill in being a desktop hardware tech. My kids were able to do that when they were 10.

You've failed to keep up with technology. At your age, the last place you should be working in is some tier 1 tech job that any high schooler can do. It's the tech equivalent of McDonalds.

You're having trouble finding jobs like that because they don't exist anymore.

"I am 33 years old and I am a computer tech"

Okay. I'm in my late 30's and I'm a network admin. I have a side business building/upgrading/repairing computers

"I work at, that the "computers" that people keep bringing in lately over the last few years are low-end laptops usually from wal-mart or Black Friday specials. "

Yep, people don't like to spend money on laptops.

" I have several questions, one of which is why are people buying such low end computers? "

They are cheap, and portable, and disposable.

" Why is everyone getting laptops?"

Most people just need a computer to play youtube videos, maybe write a word document or two, and get on the internet. And even a crap off-brand laptop/netbook with ultra-low voltage celeron and 4GB of RAM will do those things.

" I want to know what happened to the good old days of replacing ISA cards and configuring IRQ and DMA with jumpers and all the other stuff that made people bring their computers to a shop instead of try to fix it with a youtube video."

Mercifully (and I say this as someone who got his first computer in 1984 and built his first computer in the 386/DOS days, so I know where you're coming from) those days are over. Youtube is a double edged sword when it comes to repair. A lot of jobs that people thought were difficult or too daunting to take on, turn out to be doable. This means that the repair guy who used to charge $30 to pop in a stick of RAM, can't get away with that anymore. It also means that if you have a problem, someone has probably encountered it before and has posted a video on how to fix it, so it can be helpful.

"What I want is a job working on desktop machines. "

Desktops are still around, but not as popular as they used to be. The thing is that low end desktops are so cheap that it's often a better deal just to buy a new one than it is to repair one. If someone brings in a two year old emachine that needs a new mobo, why would they shell out $90+ for motherboard with proprietary power connectors, plus $75 for the labor to install it and load the OEM image on the machine. when they could get a new one for $250? On the other end of the spectrum, you have the enthusiast with the $2000+ builds. But that guy is probably going to build the machine him/herself and do their own repairs/troubleshooting. That leaves your core customer base as someone who buys a mid-range or better desktop and has zero computer knowledge. Which isn't a huge demographic these days.

" I want to do the real stuff like replace a video card or sound card or add a Blu Ray burner. Hardware is where the skill is."

It doesn't take any real amount of skill to throw in a video card, that can be done even by someone who can just follow directions in about 10 minutes. Also nobody bought blu-ray burners, the media was too expensive for what you get. Flash drives offer more capcity, far greater durability, and far better speed.

1) cos they are cheap
2) cos they are portable
3) they dont give a f//k about you
4) nobody ever needed to reconfigure anything - in the "old" days when people could afford to buy them they came pre-configured
The people who needed to re-configure would know what they were doing and wouldnt need to go anywhere near a repair shop (which didnt exist in the 1st place)
5) what I want is to win the lottery - we both have f//k all chance doing what we want

And I think your story is bullsh//t

Sometimes I buy low end computers.

I buy laptops. if I need a desktop computer, then I will buy that instead, or as well.

Laptops are light to carry. Desktop computers weigh more than laptops.

I think it would take a long time, for me to explain what I do with low end computers, and I just don't have the time to talk about it with you.

If you want work, then I think you're going to have to try to get your own customers.

I'm 76 years old. In the last 6 years I have built 4 computers from scratch and heavily modified 3 others.It takes me about 4 or 5 hours to assemble a new computer and install an OS. If I can do it a lot of others can. Why would I need somebody like you? If you want a job building computers you need to open your own shop. Where I live all the local repair/build shops are owner operated.

Calling those good 'ol days says you are just pining for the society that was, you did not attempt to see what it is now; considering how PCI-E cards and parts fit each other is all well and good, but who's getting and bring in things that hurt your job and the users? You did not consider questions that is pertinent to your situation.

People buy cheap computers because that's what they can afford and what they need - many don't need much computing power. And portability can be important to some. As for the "good old days" of IRQ conflicts, DMA and IO, they're gone. ISA was fine for the time but modern motherboards have much faster buses, and modern BIOS, which are a huge improvement. This weekend I upgraded a motherboard at home, and it's so much nicer than they used to be (although modern cooling fans are huge beasts and unwieldy).

If you want to work on desktops, your best option is the corporate environment. Many companies have internal IT staff, including hardware, software, network and end user support. I'm retired now, but spent decades doing departmental support at universities. I managed labs as well as taking care of end users. We did have some users migrating to laptops, but that was honestly mostly due to IT management - they were so stringent that the users rebelled and insisted on laptops so they could have some measure of control. It got pretty nasty. But most corporate users and academics these days still have offices with desktops, which means they still need ongoing support and repair services.