Do people understand what you do at work?

[Exterous]

A lot of my job is either large storage array or cloud related so people either have no idea what black magic I work with or have gross misconceptions about it (Why is enterprise storage so expensive when I can get a 2TB drive from Best Buy for $70? Lets move to the cloud because that automatically saves money!)

So I'm just vague about it now. "I help colleges with IT stuff"

 

[SKORPI0]

The core of the group I work with and some higher ups Yes they do. People from outside the group just a vague idea. We have handbooks/manuals that explains what is and who is.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Generally, no. I support data center gear via hardware repairs, fimrware updates, problem determination. For almost everyone, it's impossible to really explain it, and if I try...you see the eyes glaze over pretty quick.

I almost always default to "I fix computers"

 

[highland145]

Yep. ATOT and a few other things.

 

[Viper GTS]

When you do datacenter type stuff you completely lose most of the population. Up until a few years ago my parents still thought I helped people with their computers.

The reality is I designed and built a multi-million dollar broadcast facility that is responsible for the production of two cable networks. They have seen pictures of it and refer to it collectively as 'the server.'

I'm sure any moderately specialized field is like this, while people have a vague idea what goes on the specifics would be completely foreign to them.

Viper GTS

 

[ch33zw1z]

^^ my son is technically inclined, and I explain stuff to him and show him some online pictures or draw out schematics.

He was walking with the technology staff at his school, who referred to their single rack of gear as "the mainframe", he corrected them quickly, and then explained how PoE works on they're switches. The people relaying this we're shocked, amused, but felt very awkward that a 10year old knew this stuff

 

[sdifox]

A lot of my job is either large storage array or cloud related so people either have no idea what black magic I work with or have gross misconceptions about it (Why is enterprise storage so expensive when I can get a 2TB drive from Best Buy for $70? Lets move to the cloud because that automatically saves money!)

So I'm just vague about it now. "I help colleges with IT stuff"

You could say "I make sure your plagiarised dissertations are preserved for eternity so we can catch the next cheater"


I help people vocalise what they need and then deliver it.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I'm usually a part of large scale projects (think setting up a major ERP like SAP/Oracle) and we help with ensuring that they set up their tax calculation software correctly.. That's a very limited scope since we implement all kinds of software. Either way, a lot of the time we are in large scale projects. I like to translate it that we are basically the bridge between the IT group and the accounting group. The IT group has no clue what the accounting and tax terminology is. Likewise, the tax department has no idea what the IT terminology is.

I just default with "tax consultant" knowing no one understands anything in tax outside outside of filing returns.
"I'm a tax consultant"
"Oh, so it must be that busy time of year"
.... "Yeah, where I work it's always busy season"

 

[purbeast0]

People as in people at my company? Or people is in the every day people in my life and friends?

People at my company do since we're all basically developers. People outside of work, not so much. They kind of do but not really. Like my wife knows I make software but that's about it. She really doesn't "get" it at all or how programming and everything really comes together.

 

[lxskllr]

People know what I do, but don't understand the extent of work required. Everyone thinks you just throw up some gear, and magic happens; satellites or something.

 

[stargazr]

Not really. I'm a tool & diemaker. I build tooling for manufacturing.

 

[DietDrThunder]

I used to write software and after 31 years in the industry, I pretty much sit in teleconferences and make PowerPoint/Visio charts.

 

[zinfamous]

Some do, some don't. Some understand it far better than I do.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Eh, not much. They're just like "woohoo, we got a website. Glad we have YOU here to handle it." I can evoke a mild interest when reciting popularity and page view data. The site isn't about commerce, just a public face.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Most people outside the company would not. I work at a NOC and it's a job where we work with a lot of different technologies so it's even hard for me to explain to most people. I just tell people that I monitor the telecommunication network for a good portion of Ontario and Quebec. In general it's basically what I do.

 

[herm0016]

only the people familiar with the process of drilling and completing an oil well. Though, now that we work back end paperwork stuff like creating invoicing and resource scheduling, I would say only the 4 people in my team know what we actually do.

 

[boomerang]

Not really. I'm a tool & diemaker. I build tooling for manufacturing.

I know what you do.

My true title was Die Maker and I sometimes got asked if I made all the colors or only certain ones. Once I started referring to myself as a Tool and Die Maker I got knowing looks that were mostly faked.

Now, work is just a four letter word the meaning of which has faded from my memory.

 

[lxskllr]

I know what you do.

My true title was Die Maker and I sometimes got asked if I made all the colors or only certain ones. Once I started referring to myself as a Tool and Die Maker I got knowing looks that were mostly faked.

Now, work is just a four letter word the meaning of which has faded from my memory.

Sometimes I tell people I'm a surveyor, and they think I ask people questions :^/

 

[snoopy7548]

Sometimes I'm not even sure I understand what I do at work.

 

[sdifox]

Sometimes I tell people I'm a surveyor, and they think I ask people questions :^/

Would you like fries with that?

 

[highland145]

Sometimes I'm not even sure I understand what I do at work.

lol so long as the magic happens.

 

[Thebobo]

Co-workers yes, Family and friends some do some don't.

 

[ImpulsE69]

A lot of my job is either large storage array or cloud related so people either have no idea what black magic I work with or have gross misconceptions about it (Why is enterprise storage so expensive when I can get a 2TB drive from Best Buy for $70? Lets move to the cloud because that automatically saves money!)

So I'm just vague about it now. "I help colleges with IT stuff"

yea, same...I could see peoples eyes glass over when I tried to explain it so now I just say I work with computers...which doesn't explain what I do at all. At some point I was 'awarded' some stupid fake 'job title' that made me sound important (instead of a like...a bonus or a raise). I sometimes use that lol.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Two people know what I do. The rest are clueless and don't care because it's all magic.

 

[IronWing]

My office goes through managers so fast I think the last one I had who truly understood what I do moved on fifteen years ago. Some of my colleagues understand it.