What do you tell people you do for a living?

[zomgmike]

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."

 

[KwiceroLTD]

Computer Programming, if they have any more specific questions, I refer them to my website.

 

[KuJoe]

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.

 

[Geek]

I say that or "I work in IT". 

Same.  Plus it's easier for the layman to understand, as opposed to having to explain every nuance and possibly driving someone insane.

 

[MannDude]

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...

 

[RLT]

Professional bum.

 

[Amfy]

For legal reasons I don't mention Secure Dragon in real life

How should this be understood?

 

[KuJoe]

Nothing to see here.  

 

[QuadraNet_Adam]

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]

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

 

[telephone]

After years of blank stares, I just say IT now.

 

[iWF-Jacob]

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.

 

[EludedHost - Jason]

I deal drugs online to nerds.

 

[cloudxtnyHost]

Just sat "am into IT" usually just get a blank stare

 

[sv01]

just IT guy. and explain to someone who asking what IT but most of them never ask

 

[RockTBN]

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

 

[MannDude]

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

Manage servers? What restaurant do you work at?

 

[ChrisM]

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.

 

[DomainBop]

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

I prefer to tell people that I'm the Internet's version of a CO2 gas emitting farting cow and spend my day's contributing to global warming (and then I give them a link to this graphic to illustrate it http://www.techjaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/data-centers-infographic-small.jpg).

 

[gordonrp]

"Work with computers"