My job title is “IT support engineer”. No, I don’t know why your email is slow. No, I don’t fix stuff on your work laptop. Call me when you have a 1.8PB storage volume that is throwing errors, or when the robotics and automation can’t talk to their controller.
Luckily I’m getting a new title next month, along with a new employer.
I’ve heard someone with a similar job reply with “does your computer cost more than a house? No? Then I can’t help you”
I do DevOps engineering, but to most family I just say computers which means I am an expert at everything online and can help make an app for their phones or make crypto.
Luckly managing expectations IS part of my job lol
I’m a Linux software engineer and my in-laws always want me to fix their emails, troubleshoot their Windows driver problems, or work out why their printer is no longer working. Often all three on the same day. Its so difficult to explain to them I’m not “that kind” of computer guy.
What I’m saying is… can you come to my in-laws house and do expectation management for me? I’m bad at that.
I am an accountant and cannot even begin to count the number of people who asked me to do their taxes. I do not do tax accounting, never have, it’s a whole separate department where I work, and at every job I’ve worked. I’m not sure the tax people even think of themselves as accountants.
I work retail. Contrary to popular belief, I DO NOT always know whether a particular item is in stock or not, unless I consult the computer. I do not have the exact price of every item committed to memory. I don’t even know the expiration date of every single coupon. Some customers think I suck at my job, but I haven’t gotten any complaints from the people who pay me, so…
I’m always amazed when people know what shelves and aisles things are at off the top their head. I am asking 100% expecting people needing to ask some who runs that department or to check the system.
Back in the day there were stores that could definitely answer such questions. The employees were trained to be able to tell you which aisle (side and end) you could find their products.
Not anymore. Guess the training got cut so the CEO could get his quarterly bonus for being a genius. /s
Nah if you stock it you learn. Almost can’t help it.
Maybe I say thisas someone that can’t find my own stuff around my house lol
I’m an electrician, a lot of people assume electricians are lighting specialist. We are not.
I have lighting vendors calculate photometrics for commercial jobs and I do what is common sense for residential.
Table Games Dealer here. “Help us make money” – listen, if the dealer knew how to beat the house they’d be a player. The dealer is a terrible player, that’s why they’re on their side of the table.
Ohhhhh. From “table games dealer” I thought you owned a tabletop gaming store. Selling, like, Settlers of Catan and D&D and stuff. Took me a minute to realise you’re a casino employee.
From my time in IT - that issue that’s been really bugging you? The one you still haven’t logged a ticket for? Not my job to look at it.
Writing code.
Okay, you have my attention. What do you do where people think you Do write code, but of course you do not? It’s web devel, isn’t it?
most IT work doesn’t require the ability to write any code
Based on all the stories I’ve heard so far about senior engineers, if you get promoted high enough you don’t even have time to write code anymore
If you keep it small-scale, I guess. But, sooner or later unless you work in one of those finger-paint kits like checkpoint, you’re going to need to write some terraform, chef or - fuck no - Ansible. The latter is less code than codes, or perhaps a suicide note, but it’s still out there.
Hell; my boss, leading a team in an org so big and old that it’s got a dedicated AIX group, separate from its Solaris group, still writes perl for tooling and is only now worried who’ll pick it up when she retires. Old IT, new IT, big IT; they all write something.
Speaking as someone who’s been in IT from kernel 1.2.x, if you’re not coding then you must be running the bucket truck. Do I win?
Yeah, you’re much better off if you can at least automate stuff by writing scripts.
But, you often get people who think IT work is software and application development. And the reverse: It is often assumed programmers are good at building or troubleshooting computers and networks.
Fix your PC. Yes, I work in technology, and yeah, I probably CAN fix your PC. Not my job.
Dealing with your shit.
Not. My. Job.
