How do you go about explaining to your friends,family and significant others what you

gbdavidx

I can't wait to say, "I fix the internets"

aka network enginerr

Anonymouse wrote: »

To IT people: "I do a lot."
To everyone else: "I'm a computer guy."

really we all know you do nothing right?

rscrt

I always try to brush them off with "I hit Enter for money".

alan2308

I'll usually just leave it at I'm in I.T. unless they ask for details. One of my colleagues sums it all up as "I help people print."

MentholMoose

I work on the cloud.

N2IT

I collect a paycheck

paul78

Loved reading the various answers... I used to think that it was only in my family where I had this problem...

When my wife and I was first engaged, she tried to explain to her grandmother what I did. Based on my wife's explanation, her grandmother thought I did data-entry on mainframes. So that's what my wife's side of the family thinks that I do for a living.

Ayvz

Just say...MIS(Management Information Sytem)

Mike-Mike

I just say IT or Network Administrator unless people are in IT too, then I'll explain. My wife has no idea what I do, and I guess she thinks that bugs me or something. So when her family or someone she knows asks about me, she apparently tells them different things. So anytime we are at a family function with her family, I get random questions, and nothing ever makes sense.

blargoe

This reminds me of a time the local paper did a story that had a little blurb about my family in it. They interviewed my wife. I think my occupation when the article was printed was "computer engineer".

Anonymouse

gbdavidx wrote: »

really we all know you do nothing right?

Sometimes to the end user it may seem that way. Especially when I'm taking my break at my desk and they walk up with a question.

UnixGuy

blargoe wrote: »

I drive a garbage truck. Generally, no one is going to seek free advice from the guy that drives a garbage truck.

LOL ^^ this cracked me up


I have hard time explaining to IT professionals what I do! When I say Linux or Unix, they say, "what do you do with that??" ...For non IT people, I say "I work with computers" or sometimes I say "Computer Engineer", and then they say "can you fix my computer?" I reply "not those kind of computers", they say "what kind of computers do you work with?" I say, "the kind of computers that you don't use "

log32

Normally I just say I do system administration of servers, normally no one asks for detailed explanation

FastEthernet

NEVER, and I really mean NEVER say the following:

"I work in IT"
"I work with computers"

Those 2 phrases will always stick in people's minds.

Friends and family will still expect free home support and advice 15 years later. Took me years to put a stop to this, had to use excuses such as:

"I've moved on from dealing with the idiot in between the keyboard and chair, I have a more advanced role now dealing with large scale data networks"
"I haven't got time now that I have family and extra resposibility at work"
"I don't do that sort of IT anymore, my knowledge in that area is years out of date"
"Send us an email and I'll deal with it next year"
"Taxi's waiting outside, gotta go"

When someone asks what you do for a living, always baffle them with something technical that they don't know about, such as "I'm a Cisco engineer". They'll leave you alone then.

webgeek

I work for the mouse so I say "I Make the Magic happen by pushing F5". People usually look at me weird and leave me alone. lol

instant000

I usually say network security (for some reason, people think "Brinks" when they hear that). So, I then say computer security. And that still has them a bit off. And then they start thinking "oh, you work in IT! ... I have this problem with my ..." -- I usually cut them off at this point, and explain that it would be cheaper to replace their computer, than for me to work on it.

At least one guy was smart enough to realize that he didn't know enough to understand what I did.

His response: "I have a sister with a Ph.D. in Computer Science. When she comes to town, I'll be sure to introduce you to her. She'll understand what you do for a living. I don't know what she does, or what you do, but I'm sure you two can talk."

Nowadays, I just call myself an "auditor" as most people have a concept of what an auditor is, and it's sort of similar to what I do.

EDIT: Significant other is easy. My wife's a network engineer.

Saundie

I tell people that I'm an IT Janitor. I describe it as "cleaning up the electronic equivalent of vomit and urine". It's usually enough to satisfy their curiosity.

PurpleIT

FastEthernet wrote: »

NEVER, and I really mean NEVER say the following:

"I work in IT"
"I work with computers"

Those 2 phrases will always stick in people's minds.

Friends and family will still expect free home support and advice 15 years later.

If I get stuck in that situation I like to say I only work on Servers (and yes, I pronounce the capital S); people seem to think that Servers are somehow magical and completely unrelated to what they use at home or work.

Come to think of it, I had a programmer who thought the same thing...

Nyblizzard

Some really funny responses

gunbunnysoulja

Am I the only person who enjoys helping family and friends with their computer problems? I mean, it's family and friends... If we don't help them, who do we help? I strongly enjoy knowing that I can assist my friends and family with their issues. And if I needed/wanted help in their trade, I would hope they would be willing to help me.

PurpleIT

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

I help close family and friends, but generally not people I am just friendly with. I will give them some words of advice, but actual hands on help is reserved for just the closest few. I used to help anyone I knew, but it gets to be too much. Every little issue, every little question and if you actually charge someone then you have followup time as well; for me it just isn't worth it.

I think most IT people go through stages and I am well past that one.

gunbunnysoulja

I don't help acquaintances. If I consider someone a friend, they are a true friend, which is typically a smaller circle of people. I help them along with my family (which is quite big). Now if my name gets around that I fix computers, for friends of friends, then those people, along with acquaintances, I charge just as I would any other side work.

I would assume people here would want to help their "real" friends, as well as family.

I also just say I work in IT, as no one really knows what we do, as its mostly technical jargon. Besides, IT encompasses everything, such as IA/Security, Networking, Technical Writing, Project Management, Technical Support, Customer Service, etc....

FastEthernet

I am NOT a PC repair man. I will NOT get your iPad working ? The Register

Related article. Quite funny, worth 3 minutes of your time.

MiikeB

My partner doesn't even really ask what I do, just kinda knows that I am very good at it.

My dad kind of understands but has misconceptions that I roll with because its easier.

My mom has no idea and actually thought I was still in undergrad student full-time.

As far as helping friends and family with PC problems...I don't even think I am the best qualified person. Could I figure it out? Sure probably, but the guys at the local pc repair shop or what have you deal with virus removal and such far more often than me. At this point in my life my time is far too valuable to spend 3-4 hours running ccleaner malware bytes and whatever else you run these days for spy/adware and virus removal.

YuckTheFankees

I really dislike telling people I'm in "I.T.", I usually specify "network security" and I'll tell you why. I don't know how often this happens to you guys but once I tell someone I'm in I.T., it could be a week or a few months later, but eventually I'll get this phone call "Hey, you're in I.T. right? Could you please fix my laptop, printer, camera, anything with a digital screen?".

biggene

I don't have any issue telling people I work on computers, but unless they are very close friends or my family, they get no help for free. When they balk at my prices, starting at $85 per hour and higher the more of an acquaintance they are and a minimum of 2 hours up front, I just tell them to hop on down to Best Buy for the $249 diagnostic.

mworwell

I just tell people that I build and design computer networks. That's usually where the question stops.

Everyone

These days, I tell them who I work for. If they want to know more, I tell them my title. If they want to know more, I start rambling until their eyes glare over/deer in the headlights look, eventually they change the subject.

Plantwiz

I'm really surprised by the comments of folks unwilling to help others. WOW!

I have never had a problem with people bothering me excessively, I try to 'teach' them so they don't need to call me for simple stuff and that satisfies most. Others, I'll just fix it and be done though that is less common these days.

Educate others on what to do and how to avoid problems and over the past 30 years much of the nonsense has really dried up because so much is designed for the end-user to fix on their own anyway.

Why lie about what one does for a living or such? Simply say you can be contacted at your office and when. Or if you are not a consultant, simply tell them such, or just point them in the right direction, idealy to a friend of yours who is.

Frankly, I don't have the heart to tell anyone to take their machine to Best Buy, Office Max, Staples or the like...and two of those stores I enjoy shopping for paper products and the like, it is nothing against the store, but the pricing structure is WAY out of place for the problems they 'fix'. I've found over the years, most home users simply need some basic training rather than to be overcharged...then again, I also think most people do not need a computer.

Just a thought,
Consider yourself as having a gift for understanding (at least some understanding) of technology and share that gift. There is still plenty of payable work available with the little stuff out-of-the-way. Perhaps someone will return that favor maybe as a roofer, landscaping, instlalling a sewer line, etc...

I hear some teachers complain about attending certain events, "if I go, then I'll run into my students and they'll want to talk about class." Well, "DUH" but that is real easy to teach what you expect, when a student or parent approach you to talk shop, simply explain they can e-mail you or call you so you can set an appointment to give them your full-attention, but at this event it would be inappropriate to discuss the student's acedemic standing at such a public venue. Same with computers, either fix it or politely direct folks another place. Simple.


Life is short! Leave people remembering you were good and helpful rather than a jerk.

YuckTheFankees

^ haha..If I only had enough time in the day to help every one.

Edit: And I have to say, you assume a lot. You know what happens when you assume so much?

Plantwiz

@YuckTF,

If you are refering to my post, where did I say anything about 'assuming'?

I am making no assumptions. There is plenty of time to do what is important and what is right.