amuck-landowner

What do you tell people you do for a living?

zomgmike

Member
Verified Provider
When you meet someone and they ask what you do, what do you tell them?  Most ways to phrase it get a blank and confused stare or a "ok I don't know what that is." It's a total conversation killer to tell people what we do.

I usually just leave it at "Web hosting.  It's like Godaddy but we don't have Danica Patrick."  Sometimes I just say "IT" or "datacenter services."
 

KuJoe

Well-Known Member
Verified Provider
My official title at my day job is Server Tech so I say that or "I work in IT". For legal reasons I don't mention Secure Dragon in real life except to people I trust or don't know at all.
 
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MannDude

Just a dude
vpsBoard Founder
Moderator
I just tell people I "telecommute to an office job". I leave it vague intentionally but don't stretch the truth. That is exactly what I do.

Tell them you "Work from home" and they think you're doing one of those work-from-home programs/scams that are advertised on TV and on Facebook ads... ("LEARN HOW THIS SINGLE MOM MADE $8,000 LAST MONTH USING ONLY HER LAPTOP!") and tell them you work in "IT" and now you're a computer expert and can fix their Mac and Windows computers and help them in Photoshop...

:p
 

QuadraNet_Adam

Active Member
Verified Provider
I usually just say web hosting or datacenters as well. I usually describe a datacenter as a facility which has a bunch of computers which are meant to be powered on 24x7 for hosting websites, and the datacenter provides the power, cooling and network to empower those computers. :)
 

drmike

100% Tier-1 Gogent
I just describe myself as a technologist with an emphasis on marketing and advertising (which is about 70% of what I do).  Soon after they ask if I can fix their computer, recommend a solution for something, etc.  To which I usually politely say I don't do that, ask them what business / profession they are in.

With awkward conversations and inability to resonate with the vastness of the population, doesn't it become clear to many about the tiny niche that hosting and related are?  Surely my friends with their insane degrees, high specialization, etc. do not have such difficulty communicating their often rather complex even more niche careers :)
 

iWF-Jacob

New Member
Verified Provider
Yeah I just generally say I work in IT, sometimes when they dig farther I'll talk a bit about what I do but then their eyes just generally glaze over.
 

RockTBN

Member
Verified Provider
LOL me too, just IT guy. It's the most easy thing to understand, most people dont know servers or VPS.
 

ChrisM

Cocktail Enthusiast
Verified Provider
I tell people I sell services which allow people to host their websites and applications for others can access them on the web.

If I get any further questions I basically just say I am the internets version of a landlord.
 
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