Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ihu1m.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!ihu1m!gadfly From: gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Re: Showing Off (Athletics VS Intell Message-ID: <509@ihu1m.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 23:20:11 EDT Article-I.D.: ihu1m.509 Posted: Fri Jul 12 23:20:11 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 06:34:21 EDT References: <1030@trwatf.UUCP> <33100024@ISM780.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 38 -- > 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?" > "I write compilers." > nobody outside the industry knows what that is... > > How can I answer this without making them feel like they are > stupid, but also avoiding the path "It's a very technical job, > you wouldn't understand > without a longwinded and boring discussion"? > > (--Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Corp. This is a sad state of affairs, but all too common among computer professionals. When you can't even begin to explain a most important part of your life to jes' plain folks, it's a most damning indictment of the educational system that got you where you are. Anyway, here's a suggestion: "I write the computer programs that translate computer languages into the 1's and 0's that computer hardware understands. These translation programs are called 'compilers'." (Now you can explain the importance of your work by mentioning actual languages your audience has probably heard of, perhaps explaining the difference between a statement a programmer would write, like X = 3, and how that has to be digested for a machine to understand it, etc, etc, depending on how interested your audience is.) Hope that helps. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 12 Jul 85 [24 Messidor An CXCIII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7753 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***