How do you explain what you do to non-IT people?

astrogeek

Hey all, I'm still a bit new to IT, coming up on my 2 year anniversary, but I'm still facing the same problem I get from family and friends when they ask me this simple, yet for some reason completely difficult to answer, question: "What do you do?"

My official title is "NOC Technician" and I work at a hospital. I mostly just monitor the network while occasionally replacing bad hardware, help fix network related problems, etc. But I can't say that to people that when I mention network start rambling about how crappy their internet service is, or worse yet think Facebook. Whenever I start explaining what I do it doesn't usually take long before I see that blank look in their eyes that tells me they have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.

I'm a bit curious how you all answer this question. I don't really have enough experience to consider myself a network engineer, but I usually just say that anyway because its short, sounds good, but still doesn't really help them understand what I do. Sometimes they'll respond with something like "So you work for Cisco?" or "So you work for a company like Verizon?" - And even though I know that isn't correct I usually just say yes anyway because it's probably the closest thing to what I do that they'll understand.

Zartanasaurus

I don't.

jibbajabba

Always hard to explain .. I struggle myself .. I thought I am getting away with "I work in I.T." - but then people tend to ask questions what exactly - my response: Hard to explain "Computer Stuff" lol ..

Zartanasaurus

jibbajabba wrote: »

Always hard to explain .. I struggle myself .. I thought I am getting away with "I work in I.T." - but then people tend to ask questions what exactly - my response: Hard to explain "Computer Stuff" lol ..

Maybe I should start saying "I watch what everyone does on the internet".

paul78

My wife and I used to tell her family that I did "data entry". Which theoretically is accurate.

Krunchi

Here is what they think you do.

MentholMoose

"I work on the cloud." Everybody seems to understand that!

sratakhin

Here is another picture - http://techtogeekz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/network-engineer.jpg

NetworkVeteran

I work at a hospital. I mostly just monitor the network while occasionally replacing bad hardware, help fix network related problems, etc. But I can't say that to people.. Sometimes they'll respond with something like "So you work for Cisco?" or "So you work for a company like Verizon?"

Tell them you monitor a network, like a security guard monitors TV cameras. If you see something fishy, or get a call, you take action. That may mean replacing a cable, or calling your ISP for help.

So you work for Cisco?"

No, they design, build, and sell the equipment you use.

So you work for a company like Verizon?

No, you pay for their service, just like they do!

I don't really have enough experience to consider myself a network engineer, but I usually just say that anyway because its short, sounds good

You're not the first or last to exaggerate your job title to impress. I try to keep it real. I usually compare my job to mail delivery. It gets complex fast when you need to deliver a letter to the other side of the world across land, ocean, and air to a foreign country using multiple carriers like Fedex, DHL, and bicycle couriers. I explain my job in more detail to my friends, even the non-technical ones.

Concerned Water

Krunchi wrote: »

Here is what they think you do.

lol, good one!

nerdydad

Just tell them you help the little unicorns in the wires deliver their pictures to Facebook.

NightShade1

Well i tell them i interconnect computers around the world and around the country hahahhaa

MickQ

I've no need to. Everyone tells everyone else what I do. I's sure you all know the feeling of having to tell the "friends of the family" that you don't have time to fix their 'Y' due to the time constraints of your Project X.

Everyone has to have a Project X

Trifidw

I used to say "maintain the IT network at a hospital" but people asked questions that they won't understand the answer to so have started saying "I look after the phone system at a hospital". Worked wonders until I fixed my parents phone and they promptly started advertising the fact to people they call when ever it sounds like there is a bit of a bad line. It probably undersells me a little bit as they go away thinking I swap phones on desks all the time.

DevilWAH

Friends and family I take the time to explain what I do if the show an interest. I like to know what friends and family do, my Wife is a farmer, brother an electrical engineer another one a nurse. And comming from a Science back ground my self I have plenty of friends who are scientists and mathmations and I have a decent level of understanding about what all of them do. I hate when people try to brush me of as though I would not understand. So I always try to explain what I do in simple terms. The old analage of a network like the postal system, and compuerts the houses, roads and cars the packets and physical network, and mailstatiosn the routers normally give a decent picture for people to grasp if they want more than "I work in IT networking"

jmritenour

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

I don't.

+1. I don't talk about my work to non tech people. My wife - who has a limited grasp of my job - tries, but it's pretty much fruitless.

N2IT

I usually go back to my job description

the_Grinch

I usually just say I'm the keyboard guy, when your keyboard breaks I replace it. Honestly, I avoid telling people what I do because what ultimately happens is they decide to tell me about the issue they are having. It's exactly like being a cop, a doctor, or a lawyer. Once people know it turns into a big "what do you think" and I prefer to avoid it.

Forsaken_GA

"Do you have Comcast?"

"Yes"

"Does your service ever break?"

"Yes"

"I'm the guy that fixes it"

"Oh"

RobertKaucher

My job encompasses way to much. I usually focus on the programming or database administration side when explaining it to people. They get it enough to not ask me very much about it.

rsutton

I tell people I watch progress bars for a living.

Devilry

Just think of it as working for the CIA, just make up some random interesting nonsense that you actually do that they won't ask questions about. However, some of the answers on this thread are awesome.

Zartanasaurus

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

"Do you have Comcast?"

"Yes"

"Does your service ever break?"

"Yes"

"I'm the guy that fixes it"

"Oh"

"Hey can you come look at my modem? My internet is slow."

tprice5

I usually preface my answer with, "it's really boring you and wouldn't be interested in hearing it".

If they continue to press me then I tell them exactly what I do. Then I wait for the blank expression on their face that follows and say, "I told you so".

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

Try explaining Business Intelligence to "everyday people". I actually try to avoid talking about what I do, but I know when I meet people for the first time, that's the question that everyone asks early on in the conversation. So, I've taken the following approach:

1. I just tell them I work in IT or I tell them I work for a software company and then try to move on.

2. If they keep pressing, I just say I provide data analytics development support and server administration to other programmers and data engineers.

3. If they ask for more detail, I say I deal with database programming.

4. At this point, if they seem genuinely interested in what I do (very few make it past item 3 or 4) then I'll go into detail.

I've found that trying to explain ETL, report writing, dimensional modeling, and general data warehousing is enough to make most people's eyes glaze over after the first 5 seconds.

ptilsen

I generally don't treat the question seriously. I'll say something extremely vague, such as "computer stuff". Alternatively, I'll say something absurd, like "magic" or "I talk to machines and tell them what to do", since, again, from their standpoint that's basically what I do.

If someone really wants an answer, I'll say that I manage, maintain, and implement technology solutions that make businesses more efficient. That's usually enough, maybe with some brief explanation.

Roguetadhg

Vague Answer: Computer Guy
Answer 2: I like networking. / Cisco
Answer 3: wiring for computers to talk to each other, like the internet

Anyone dealing with computer programming, or website design, hardware - any job where the profession of the other person is using a computer more than 20 hours a week. I feel comfortable to skip "Computer Guy".

veritas_libertas

I avoid it. If I say computers it's like asking them if need their PC repaired. Once I get a job working networks I'm going to say that I herd packets for a living

whatthehell

I try and explain it in terms of something almost everyone is familiar with --- Microsoft Office.
"Pretend you are using word, and then someone made something custom that didn't come with Word already, I would support that custom add on piece".
If they don't understand that, I just say I fix software. If that doesn't work, I'll just say I fix computers.
And if THAT doesn't work, well, you make sure to tell that rock to go to hell, cuz he just ain't talking back to me! lol

blargoe

I'm starting to tell people "used car salesman" or "import/export specialist". Anything to stop the free computer advice queries.

To the people that already know that I work in IT, my answer is "computers". Anything more detailed than that results in that glazed over look.

tpatt100

I used to get asked a lot about fixing computers back when I did desktop support. Now a days they don't understand what I do so they leave me alone.