Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ihu1e.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!ihu1e!mjv From: mjv@ihu1e.UUCP (Vlach) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Re: Showing Off (Athletics VS Intell Message-ID: <486@ihu1e.UUCP> Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 20:49:18 EDT Article-I.D.: ihu1e.486 Posted: Mon Jul 15 20:49:18 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 06:53:19 EDT References: <1030@trwatf.UUCP> <33100024@ISM780.UUCP> <454@osu-eddie.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 24 > In article <33100024@ISM780.UUCP> darryl@ISM780.UUCP writes: > > > >Dear Net Landers: > > > >At my job I work on C compilers, for a software company > >that specializes in doing Unix ports. When I meet people socially, a > >frequently asked question is "What do you do for a living?" How can I > >answer without being boorish or boring? For example > > > >"What do you do?" > > > >How can I answer this without making them feel like they are stupid? > > > > Tell them you're a @i(computer scientist), and they'll be impressed and > you'll have implicitly said it's a very technical subject. If you say it > with a few Groucho raises of they eyebrows, you'll also have broken some ice. > My answer to non-hacker friends as to what I do at work: "I make little computers talk to big ones. " This gives them a vague idea without having to understand anything. In fact, this definition also goes over well with other computer types!