

How To Explain Your Web 2.0 Job At The Pub - mikeyur
http://www.techvibes.com/blog/how-to-explain-your-web2.0-job-at-the-pub

======
seasoup
I use a 3 tiered system of responses. I gauge my response against the person
I'm talking to and am pleasantly surprised when someone actually wants more
detail.

My responses to "What do you do for a living":

"Computers" I use this response when talking to someone at a party who is
obviously uninterested, or someone that I think has no idea that this could
mean a lot of things. Also, to extended family though it may require an
explanation as to why I can't fix their computer.

"Software Engineer" This is the answer I most expect to not get more questions
on, unless speaking to another software engineer. This answer almost
immediately causes the conversation to shift in another direction. I can see
the mild panic behind their eyes that I might, in fact, elaborate.

"UI Developer" When talking to someone in design or the rare individual who
asks for more details then "Software Engineer" It is usually accompanied by a
more detailed description of my job.

------
pmichaud
I had this problem for a long time too, and part of it was that as an
entrepreneur it might come up that you run your own company, but saying "I'm a
CTO" translates from geek to human as "I'm a self-important and probably
delusional douchebag."

So my solution is saying "I work with technology startups." I let them tailor
the interaction by leaving it open. They are free to say "Oh... cool," or to
ask variously detailed questions, which I'm happy to answer. Takes the guess
work out of the whole interaction.

------
crcoffey
Being a poor student who scrapes a living through Rentacoder, Its difficult to
explain further without getting lost when someone raises an eyebrow at
_freelance web design_.

~~~
omouse
Do you mind if I ask how much $$ you make for that and how many projects you
can handle at a time?

~~~
crcoffey
Given the diverse range of economical backgrounds coders come from for
Rentacoder projects, Making being undercut quite a common occurrence, your
looking at $15-20USD per hour on a run of the mill job, Providing you have
decent enough ratings and offer a decent comment to show your competence and
experience.

Personally I prefer to have no more than 3 projects happening at any one time,
But its a risky job to have as your primary income, So you take what you get,
when you get.

Its definately a great place for making some quick cash on the side. And I've
always enjoyed being able to have a bash at new challenges I might not find
elsewhere.

------
dugmartin
This isn't just constrained to programmers. I have a friend I met while she
was a physics post-doc at MIT and who now is a professor at Cornell and runs a
large research group. When asked what work she does at parties she answers
"teacher".

------
michael_h
Too complicated. When someone asks me what I do, I've found that 'I program
computers' works for virtually any development job. If you give anything more
specific, they probably don't care and wouldn't know what the difference is
anyway. If they want to know more specifics, then they'll ask and you can nerd
it up.

~~~
falsestprophet
I prefer "design" or "build" or "make" software. Saying "write code" or
"program" makes me feel dirty because I'm terribly insecure and don't want
people thinking I'm a typist.

But, I make two exceptions:

1\. When I'm speaking to engineers I prefer to say I "engineer software" just
to get a rise out of them.

2\. When I'm speaking to the elderly, I've learned "I tell computers what to
do" is all they care to hear.

~~~
mikeyur
As far as my grandparents know, I run the internet.

------
edw519
If you need 5 steps to explain you job at the pub, then your audience will be
having another beer before you reach Step 3.

A pub isn't much different from an elevator, which isn't much different from
anyplace else.

The Universal Answer...

People have Problem <X>. My company provides them with Solution <Y>. I do <Z>
to help my company do that.

------
superjared
"I'm a programmer"

Then I answer questions if they have them. Which they usually don't.

------
mikeyur
I found this post funny because I was in this situation yesterday. I'm trying
to explain that I'm an SEO, and then I have to tell them what SEOs do, then
they ask for tips, etc.

Next time I'm playing unemployed.

~~~
omouse
So what does an SEO do other than what should be the normal/standard practice
of a website designer? :P

~~~
swolchok
I met a very cute SEO consultant at a bar who explained that all she did were
the basics: position keywords prominently, use meta description and keywords,
move your site name to the end of the page title because you're going to win
search results for that anyway, etc.

~~~
mikeyur
Yes, and she can charge a fortune for it. Most people don't understand these
concepts (people who hired her, for one).

------
rcurrie
As a SEM professional I usually defer to the catch all "online marketing"
response. If the conversation goes much further than that, I usually follow it
up with "you know those little ads on Google?", which usually opens up the
floodgates for a discussion of how I am ruining the internet for everyone.

