FARK.com: (6546500) What's the most persistent myth about your profession/job? Do you try to correct people or just ignore it?

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		What's the most persistent myth about your profession/job? Do you try to correct people or just ignore it? (fark.com)		1002
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16504 clicks; posted to Main » on 08 Sep 2011 at 10:18 AM | Favorite | share:

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Andromeda		2011-09-08 08:23:56 AM

Astronomy, huh? What's your sign?

Tat'dGreaser		2011-09-08 08:24:53 AM

That there are liberal engineers. I present internet arguments.

RabidDog		2011-09-08 08:26:40 AM

We play games all day.

The Headless Horseman's Headless Horse		2011-09-08 08:27:43 AM

Well, pharmacists come with a pretty wide range of myths and, while some of them may have been true, the younger generation tend to shatter them rather then perpetuate them. Whether people think it or not doesn't really matter to me, so I don't bother trying to correct it.

basemetal		2011-09-08 08:30:34 AM

That we are all evil.

/we are!
//fear me!

nekom		2011-09-08 08:31:24 AM

That it's difficult. It would be if you didn't know what you were doing, actually it would be downright impossible. But when you have the background, it's a gravy job.

/IT

PeriRies		2011-09-08 08:32:50 AM

That the world is a less scary place than it was when we were kids.

/it's actually much, much worse now

prettywarrior		2011-09-08 08:33:46 AM

That everyone is a vapid, shallow twit.

Oh wait, you said myth.

Mudwhistle62		2011-09-08 08:36:20 AM

None whatsoever

kwame		2011-09-08 08:38:59 AM

That the type of degree you pursue will have the most significant effect on your future employment.

mcsiegs		2011-09-08 08:40:26 AM

I am an Oracle applications developer. We have the biggest cocks, the sickest parties, and we can't go into a Forever 21 without being pulled into a dressing room for a mid-Saturday romp

nutkick_42		2011-09-08 08:40:30 AM

That all engineers can perform all of the tasks of every engineering discipline. I generally fix this myth with that oh-so-frustrating phrase, "I'm not that kind of engineer."

prettywarrior		2011-09-08 08:41:52 AM

nutkick_42		2011-09-08 08:42:25 AM

kwame: That the type of degree you pursue will have the most significant effect on your future employment.

For some reason I now have the "I've got a golden ticket" song from the original Willy Wonka movie stuck in my head. Thanks for that.

mcsiegs		2011-09-08 08:43:05 AM

prettywarrior: mcsiegs: I am an Oracle applications developer. We have the biggest cocks, the sickest parties, and we can't go into a Forever 21 without being pulled into a dressing room for a mid-Saturday romp

Dude, she's 12.

...and asked me to buy booze for her, nonetheless.

Dynascape		2011-09-08 08:43:13 AM

kwame: That the type of degree you pursue will have the most significant effect on your future employment.

I had a dream last night me and my wife took a trip to North Carolina, and met you at a museum.

It creeped me out.

It creeped me out even more that my wife was like "oh.. uh.. hi.. *your name* nice science museum here"

/unrelated

kwame		2011-09-08 08:43:31 AM

nutkick_42: For some reason I now have the "I've got a golden ticket" song from the original Willy Wonka movie stuck in my head. Thanks for that.

I'll probably spend the rest of the day trying to figure out how you got that from my comment, so we're even.

Splish		2011-09-08 08:44:14 AM

That we're all golddigging sluts. Sure, some are, but they would be the same no matter what their job was.

logophile		2011-09-08 08:44:40 AM

bon bons and soap operas.

CoolBeans		2011-09-08 08:44:43 AM

Software.

"Software is easy"

...sure, bunky, why don't I drop a multi-threaded app on your desktop and let *you* debug it.
/jackass

meg12279		2011-09-08 08:45:10 AM

That I have a desk leprechaun.

No, really, my job is not interesting enough to have myths.

meg12279		2011-09-08 08:46:56 AM

basemetal: That we are all evil.

/we are!
//fear me!

I feel the need to be overly nice to dentists since I read tha that they have high suicide and depression rates because people are afraid of them.

I'm all "You're great! Way to clean my teeth!:

Of course, I work for a dental school and I can tell you that in general dental students have no sense or awareness of their own surroundings.

EatHam		2011-09-08 08:47:28 AM

nutkick_42: That all engineers can perform all of the tasks of every engineering discipline.

for many people, and many tasks, whether it be an actual engineering task, or fixing a copier, being an engineer has become synonymous with "has common sense".

nutkick_42		2011-09-08 08:48:21 AM

kwame: nutkick_42: For some reason I now have the "I've got a golden ticket" song from the original Willy Wonka movie stuck in my head. Thanks for that.

I'll probably spend the rest of the day trying to figure out how you got that from my comment, so we're even.

You don't see it? It's actually one of my more straightforward lines of thought.

From your comment, I thought, "Yeah, it's like they think a degree is some kind of magic ticket into a career that matches their degree." Then I imagined an entire graduating class breaking out into a rousing chorus of "I've got a golden ticket" as they threw their graduation caps into the air.

What? Quit looking at me like that. I can't be the only one to have this thought. Can I? I mean, it was so glaringly obvious.

/Maybe I should watch less Glee...

mcsiegs		2011-09-08 08:48:52 AM

CoolBeans: Software.

"Software is easy"

...sure, bunky, why don't I drop a multi-threaded app on your desktop and let *you* debug it.
/jackass

I have my undergraduate in math and physics and my masters is an MSIS.

What always kills me is how people say they are so awesome at math. I want to tell them that the only numbers in a college math book are usually the page numbers. Take topology or Differential Equations, then tell me how good you are at math

discgolfguru		2011-09-08 08:49:00 AM

People don't have many preconceived notions about the videography field. Some attorneys seem to think that I can find and synch a video from 1997 for them in just a few minutes, though.

Kyro		2011-09-08 08:49:02 AM

That we're intelligent, educated individuals that know what the hell we're doing.

Why on earth would I want to shatter that myth?

meg12279		2011-09-08 08:49:30 AM

EatHam: nutkick_42: That all engineers can perform all of the tasks of every engineering discipline.

for many people, and many tasks, whether it be an actual engineering task, or fixing a copier, being an engineer has become synonymous with "has common sense".

I don't know. My youngest brother is an engineer, and while he is brilliant in his field, he is a flat-out retard about common sense stuff. He's the kind of kid who could rewire your whole house to operate off of one remote and will probably cure strokes one day, but may not quite remember to wear pants outside. The other day I had to pull him out of traffic, he was just wandering around looking at tall buildings like Fievel.

res_nihil		2011-09-08 08:49:47 AM

mcsiegs: I am an Oracle applications developer. We have the biggest cocks, the sickest parties, and we can't go into a Forever 21 without being pulled into a dressing room for a mid-Saturday romp

Do you ever get the assumption by friends/relatives that know absolutely nothing about the IT industry that since you work in some facet of it, you must know about and be able to fix absolutely everything about computers?

Timanous		2011-09-08 08:49:57 AM

Not sure what myths surround my line of employment...

Dynascape		2011-09-08 08:49:58 AM

That railroads really transport most of the freight, and we're just there to pick it up from those yards.

/most of the shiat in your house comes on a 18-wheeler from across the country

nutkick_42		2011-09-08 08:51:22 AM

mcsiegs		2011-09-08 08:51:36 AM

res_nihil: mcsiegs: I am an Oracle applications developer. We have the biggest cocks, the sickest parties, and we can't go into a Forever 21 without being pulled into a dressing room for a mid-Saturday romp

Do you ever get the assumption by friends/relatives that know absolutely nothing about the IT industry that since you work in some facet of it, you must know about and be able to fix absolutely everything about computers?

Ha! YES. All the time. And the questions are always "My computer is so slow anymore - can you have a look?"

landimal		2011-09-08 08:52:18 AM

I work for an IT consulting company and everyone assumes that I'll work on their home PC for a fraction of what my paying gig does. I'm not going to undercut my employer - and I aint fixing your 8 year old busted HP!

CoolBeans		2011-09-08 08:52:26 AM

mcsiegs: Take topology or Differential Equations, then tell me how good you are at math

Made it through differential equations in college (had an OUTSTANDING professor for Calc I and Calc II at UNH). Then, many years later, I tried PDQ and flopped miserably (no fault of the professor - just too long since diffi-q).
It's amazing what a great professor can do to make a course interesting.

mcsiegs		2011-09-08 08:53:11 AM

CoolBeans: mcsiegs: Take topology or Differential Equations, then tell me how good you are at math

Made it through differential equations in college (had an OUTSTANDING professor for Calc I and Calc II at UNH). Then, many years later, I tried PDQ and flopped miserably (no fault of the professor - just too long since diffi-q).
It's amazing what a great professor can do to make a course interesting.

Absolutely

If I read a Diffi-q book right now, I think I'd be confused too

hurdboy		2011-09-08 08:53:25 AM

That getting the requirements from the customer, and giving them to the engineers is straightforward.

CoolBeans		2011-09-08 08:53:29 AM

meg12279: I don't know. My youngest brother is an engineer, and while he is brilliant in his field, he is a flat-out retard about common sense stuff. He's the kind of kid who could rewire your whole house to operate off of one remote and will probably cure strokes one day, but may not quite remember to wear pants outside. The other day I had to pull him out of traffic, he was just wandering around looking at tall buildings like Fievel.

/checks for pants

*whew*!

Marysue		2011-09-08 08:54:37 AM

That phone sex workers are all fat old women with sexy voices.

For some reason Trekkies prefer fat old women with voices destroyed by cigarettes and cheap whiskey.

Rev.K		2011-09-08 08:55:32 AM

I work in government and...well, it's all true.

RabidDog		2011-09-08 08:56:15 AM

CoolBeans: Software.

"Software is easy"

...sure, bunky, why don't I drop a multi-threaded app on your desktop and let *you* debug it.

Don't you know they have that visual basic now. It's all visual, pretty much point and click and you have an app.

HST's Dead Carcass		2011-09-08 08:56:17 AM

I bask in it and let them think I'm the genius I am not.

sign_of_Zeta		2011-09-08 08:57:46 AM

There really aren't sexy librarians. There just aren't.

moogrum		2011-09-08 08:59:08 AM

nutkick_42: That all engineers can perform all of the tasks of every engineering discipline. I generally fix this myth with that oh-so-frustrating phrase, "I'm not that kind of engineer."

And any accounting task as well.

logophile		2011-09-08 08:59:15 AM

Marysue: voices destroyed by cigarettes and cheap whiskey.

Eldest has a great character voice based on this. think the old lady from the spongebob chocolate bar episode

"Chawklet?!! I remember when they first invented the stuff... sweet, delisious chawklet... I HATED it!"

CoolBeans		2011-09-08 08:59:35 AM

RabidDog: CoolBeans: Software.

"Software is easy"

...sure, bunky, why don't I drop a multi-threaded app on your desktop and let *you* debug it.

Don't you know they have that visual basic now. It's all visual, pretty much point and click and you have an app.

In the defense of a former CEO of mine, he actually admitted that 1) he didn't understand software and 2) because of #1, he couldn't assume it was easy.
He was a damn good CEO, too. Once, when there was a HW problem, he dropped his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and started lugging heavy equipment to the loading dock late one night to help us meet a deadline.

PFRboy		2011-09-08 08:59:37 AM

That I get the summer off. I wish.

Marysue		2011-09-08 09:01:50 AM

logophile: Marysue: voices destroyed by cigarettes and cheap whiskey.

Eldest has a great character voice based on this. think the old lady from the spongebob chocolate bar episode

"Chawklet?!! I remember when they first invented the stuff... sweet, delisious chawklet... I HATED it!"

If I were herbally inclined I think it would be a HOOT to watch a SpongeBob marathon with you.

I love SpongeBob.

Crudbucket		2011-09-08 09:02:20 AM

res_nihil: Do you ever get the assumption by friends/relatives that know absolutely nothing about the IT industry that since you work in some facet of it, you must know about and be able to fix absolutely everything about computers?

res_nihil: Do you ever get the assumption by friends/relatives that know absolutely nothing about the IT industry that since you work in some facet of it, you must know about and be able to fix absolutely everything about computers?

res_nihil: Do you ever get the assumption by friends/relatives that know absolutely nothing about the IT industry that since you work in some facet of it, you must know about and be able to fix absolutely everything about computers?

Goddammit! For the last time, I'm a VoIP engineer working on military networks. I'm trained how to do a very specific set of tasks on a very specific piece of equipment. I have no idea why your printer won't work, Dad, and I'm not flying back to America to find out. Just buy a new damn printer.

logophile		2011-09-08 09:03:13 AM

yay! and you dont need herb to appreciate spongebob.. neither of the twins imbibe and they watch it constantly. you know netflicks has all the seasons streaming now? truff.

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