To find it awkward explaining my job?

[Bluebluesea321]

Does anyone else find it awkward/tiring trying to explain their job to people e.g. when being asked in a social setting? Unless you’re a vocation like doctor, teacher, accountant etc it just feels quite difficult without either sounding boring or show-offy! I work in a senior role in financial services and although it’s a very good job I have people asking what I do!

@perfectstorm thank you. That is so kind and generous of you to post. I guess we all find our niche.

I'm a gypsiologist, self employed, I don't even try to explain unless people specifically ask about it.

Civil engineers are polite and build things.
My friends is a nightmare, Heavy lift engineer, radiographer, coating inspector, welding inspector, ditch inspector, health and safety manager, quality manager, environmental engineer, auditor-management systems, diver, risk assessor, document manager and hydrographic surveyor. Does other things as well and is always smiling. Explain that lot at a party

@Chovihano I never knew there was an actual term for it. I just presumed it would be 'sociologist/anthropologist with a special interest in Gypsy communities.'

As an aside, does anyone hate that that's the first thing people ask. Not, what are your hobbies/ interests, hopes or dreams. What job do you do? Like it defines a person.

Yes! I absolutely hate my job (statistician for a pharma company, yes it's even more boring than it sounds) and when people ask me this, I have to awkwardly explain I'm quitting my job to do a college course in fashion. That throws them a bit!

lougle

Tbh, I'm not sure if there is, but I have seen people refer to themselves when doing the same type of research/ and work.
The stuff I do is mainly historical, more often pre 20th Century, so maybe social historian might be more fitting

@Zbag14 matched betting? Me too

Full time I work in aftersales for a large car brand

OrchidIn I so agree! My title means people would want to find out more whether cos they nosey, obligated etc. Its quite difficult to explain in a few words and the title whilst generally would make sense in the world I am in, it wouldnt to others

See I think that's really fascinating, @Chovihano.

Missing comma

I work in hospital admin and hate explaining it. I make sure patients meet their waiting list deadlines set by governmental targets which involves prodding consultants to look at certain patients and analysing capacity and demand. It's a job no one considers or understands.

I always say I do the job Chandler in Friends did. Based on my understanding, he was some form of data analyst. Once I give that explanation whoever asks knows they will never understand what I do.

Even my own brother, when explaining what he does in his PhD, didn't realise that he is doing actually what I do for a living. Now we bother understand each other when noone else does and can thoroughly geek out .

Lougle

It doesn't make me much money and is more hobby, but it has been interesting where I use the knowledge and the bookings I get.
The research is for projects I'm paid for but if honest I work far more than what I earn. If it was responsible for paying all the bills it wouldn't pay many but i enjoy it and kids grown up now, so fewer outgoings.

I genuinely like to hear about other people's jobs. Working in finance would be one of the easiest I'd have thought.

My exH worked for GCHQ. TBH it’s a big local employer so it’s not exactly a secret. But he couldn’t have said so on MN and wasn’t supposed to ‘publicise’ it. I know he was a software developer as I helped him write his CV, but I had no idea what he worked on.

I’m a school physics technician which is less technical than it sounds, even if I do have a physics degree!

I've never really got what my dh does as its all quite technical but it doesn't stop people asking me, nor them showing disgust when I'm vague or say I don't really know. I then proceed to try and explain, only to have them look totally confused. You have my total sympathy.

I qualified as a veterinary nurse.

But I don’t like telling people my job title as they think I am either:
-Too stupid to be a vet.
-Spend my day cuddling puppies.

• Or that I am basically a vets PA and am there to make them cuppas.

Actually we are radiographers, lab techs, ultrasound sonographers, anaesthetists, run theatre, consult and know each species anatomically and management wise inside and out as well as nursing the animals back to health and receiving very little thanks. Thankyou cards are never addressed to us minions however we are the ones that probably did the majority of the work

Hence I no longer solely work as a veterinary nurse and make something else up as a job when someone asks

I have this problem. I'm self employed and sell food at various different outdoor events mainly from April to around October. Takes me all over the country and I love it. The closest I can get to describing it is like a burger van but sells Cornish pasties instead. The problem is people either think I am a massive outdoor catering company or work in a burger van selling overpriced food.

I now just say I work in food retail.

I used to be a technical writer. I soon found that no-one understood the term, so I took to explaining more fully: “I'm a technical writer – I write computer manuals”.

Even so, when I was thinking of returning to work (in an unrelated area) after a break, one interviewer gave me an understanding smile and asked, “Did you do that while you were between jobs?”

I suppose he thought I hoped to be the next J.K. Rowling. I don't think anyone ever got to be J.K. Rowling by writing computer manuals – but I did get a good salary for many years!

Yes, I also work in Financial Services as a Programme Manager.

After explaining it to DH the only things he's retained are:

• I go to meetings
• I boss people around
• I make lots of PowerPoint slides.

I had a huge conversation with him refuting that this was what my job was....only to come to the conclusion that this is actually what my job is

I don't have a job anymore (due to being a full time carer) so now I just lie and tell people I'm a taxidermist....

@Maneandfeathers I took a huge platter of nice cup cakes into our vets when they saved one of our animals, so that the nurses would also benefit. No idea if that was a good idea (can you eat cake behind the scenes in a vet practice or is it a sterile environment?) wasnt sure but hope that was ok!

I am a social worker. I tend to just say i work for the council. Otherwise i get stories of peoples children being taken away over nothing or more often 'ohh i couldnt do your job'

bringmethathorizon are you a clinical coder?