Just a rant - people not making the effort to understand what I do

[TheOrigRights]

I used to have a very specific role in a scientific department. I'm not going to say what it is, because there was just one of me!
It had a bit of giggle factor, like someone working on..I don't know...bovine semen or something.
I haven't done this job for nearly 6 years. I am in broadly the same scientific field, but have taken quite a large step into publishing from research.
It's far easier to explain what I do and there are some things I work on which are very interesting (Covid, endangered species, medicine etc).

Yet people STILL ask "how are things in the semen world" [giggle].

It doesn't matter - they don't need to understand what I do, but I just feel dismissed and they're not really interested.

I used to think I didn't do a good job of explaining what I did, until I heard someone explaining nearly exactly the same thing on Desert Island Disks using the exact analogies I was using and breaking it down in the same way.

I think sometimes people fear they don't or can't understand and their minds close down.

To be clear, I'm not banging on about my job all the time, it's something that comes up now and again.

I ask people about their jobs and would explore further if they said “I work for John Lewis”. I even ask what path they took to get to what they’re doing, eg civil servant. Depends on time available and rapport, obviously, but I find it interesting.

I don't feel the need for everyone to know what I do. What have I said that leads you to think this?

I don't think it's a wild notion to be interested in which area of paediatrics a consultant works in. I would respect their wish to refuse to talk about it, but I do care. How can you say no one cares?

Dh tells everyone we meet socially that he works in IT because they don't probe further. He doesn't but it saves everyone a very dull conversation about what he does that they won't understand - we run a business selling niche advice - I'd stick with the semen story OP - it's much more entertaining - unless you are trying to impress people?

I like finding out about people’s jobs but if you’re outside of the field it’s often pretty impossible to work out what somebody is actually doing, even when they’re trying to explain it to you. I have a friend who talks about work quite a bit and I just really don’t get what all the things she manages are and what they’re supposed to do. There was one project about 10 years ago that involved something I know about and so I still think of her as basically working in that area. Bit like you and the semen.