48 points

I don’t have trouble explaining. I keep it high level and generic because 99 times out of 100, people are just making small talk and want to know just enough about you to categorize you.

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17 points
*

Similar with trying to explain the Fediverse. It doesn’t come up often, but the explanation is sometimes just

Non-profit run social media

While not entirely accurate since you can run an instance for profit, it’s been the case for pretty much every instance and it’s definitely true for the side I’m helping with

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39 points

Describing my job? Yeah, sure. I do science.

Explaining my job? Hell no. Nobody is willing to read a 20 page lit review to start to understand the background of what I do

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Contramuffin. (2024). Describing my job: I do science. Lemmy World, 78(9), 69-420.

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36 points

Reading the first several posts… Is everyone here in IT? 🤣🤣

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23 points

Mostly, yeah

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8 points

Given you are using niche forum software. Yes, most likely.

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6 points

There are DONZENS of us!

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7 points

Ask me again in UDP

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6 points

I’m sorry I only do TCP

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3 points

UDP world DGAF

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3 points

01001001 01110011 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 01101111 01101110 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01001001 01010100 00111111 00100000

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3 points

I do computer

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4 points

Bleep bloop bleep

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2 points

heyo yeeeeee

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1 point

No, but only because we subdivide what layman think of as IT into many specialties

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25 points

I recently told a seven year old that I am a wizard. I already have the beard and being a programmer, that is exactly what my customers feel about my work.

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23 points

Me: I’m in IT (trying to keep it simple)

Them: OK, but what do you do in IT?

Me: I’m a system administrator (again trying to keep it simple)

Them: I don’t know what that means. What does a system administrator do?

Me: I work on servers (again, trying to keep it simple)

Them: What’s a server?

Me: I’m in IT…

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7 points

I’m a salesforce admin and I feel the same way

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10 points

I’m a salesforce admin

I’m sorry

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5 points

Tis a thankless job!

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6 points

Ooo, my brother-in-law is in sales. What kind of commission do you make?

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4 points
*

That’s a combination of too simple/short in your sentences, mixed with too specific jargon with no clarification. It’s dumb as hell that people don’t know stuff like what a server is, but if they don’t you have to abstract it more.

My go to is some form of: I’m in IT, I do systems administration. I help keep all the things behind the scenes working so that everyone’s stuff works at my workplace. Less of making your email work, more of making everyone’s email work.

Obviously I work with a hell of a lot more than just email. I’m mostly scripting out custom automation jobs to bridge gaps in the integrations between different systems. But like you said, keep it simple.

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3 points

Oh hello fellow email admin. What platform?

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2 points

So you keep the computer engine running.

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1 point

Replied elsewhere: I cast spells that make the runes etched in sand translate the energy of magic stones into dancing light.

Usually I just tell people that I work in IT and leave it at that.

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