# Things you do for work that no one gets... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847 "2014-04-24T06:13:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/61 "2014-04-27T21:55:33Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > So I am in midst of a rather major project at work. This involves our VM infrastructure. In a nut shell, our SAN is causing performance issues which cause SQL to send alerts. This is due to lun misalignment. > > So we have to shut down all the VMs and then realign the luns. Sooooo, that has something to do with computers, right? > [@](#): > > When I tell most of my friends or family about this they get that far away look in their eyes… Couldn’t you just say something like “our data isn’t getting from A to B correctly, and I have to troubleshoot it”? ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/62 "2014-04-28T18:02:01Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > So I am in midst of a rather major project at work. This involves our VM infrastructure. In a nut shell, our SAN is causing performance issues which cause SQL to send alerts. This is due to lun misalignment. > > So we have to shut down all the VMs and then realign the luns. > [@Dervorin](#): > > Now, because I work extensively with SQL server, I understand why you need to realign the LUNs, though the details of SAN management are beyond me. I just yell for help from the infrastructure guys at this point. 😉 > [@kunilou](#): > > Sooooo, that has something to do with computers, right? As a SQL Server DBA, I too am familiar with what you’re talking about; but when I try to explain it to my wife all I get is the glassy eyed stare. 😕 I was able to teach her her counting in hex though; so all is not lost. > **[Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/sql/sql-server-2008/dd758814(v=sql.100)?redirectedfrom=MSDN)** ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/63 "2014-04-28T18:20:46Z")
> [@Maeganspop](#): > > I run a pick and place machine. Does\*\* anyone \*\*want to know what that means? Most likely that you’ll be out of work soon. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/64 "2014-04-28T20:07:34Z")
Hehe , here is how the usual discussion of what I do goes like. Some person: “So what do you do?” Me: “I’m a programmer"_please don’t ask, please don’t ask_ SP: “What kind of programming do you do?” Me_Dammit_"Well I don’t do much actual programming anymore, I’m more of a technical project lead these days” SP: _Blank stare_"You’re a manager" Me “Nope I don’t deal with people stuff” SP _pause_ “are you a Project manager?” Me “Nope, I don’t give a crap about the budget,or application scope function-point complexity to man-hours ratio” SP; “So what do you do?” Me: “well mostly I over see a project and look for everything everyone else is doing wrong” SP: “So you’re a tester?” Me “Not even close. Basically every large project has about 20 groups involved; Enterprise architects, analysts, Security, Project managers, release managers,Business,DBA, Operations, Corporate standards, Programmers, testers etc. None of whom know a damn thing about any other piece of it. So I translate, fix,negotiate,threaten,beg, redesign,recode, optimize, or throw away and everything else you can think of involved in making sure we end up with a useful, reality-based,maintainable, standardized application, somewhat close to the estimate I pulled out of my ass 18 months earlier” SP:" Ohhhhhhhh… umkay’ ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/65 "2014-04-28T20:08:34Z")
After I tell people I’m a trader they never believe I have no opinion on what Apple stock is going to do. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/66 "2014-04-28T20:18:36Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I work in power markets. Hell, that’s easy to understand. Power markets is where you buy the food to make power lunches. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/67 "2014-04-28T20:51:27Z")
I have no idea what you all are writing about. I almost fell asleep a few times reading. I do have 2 brother in laws who work with computers - I have not a clue what they do, and I would not understand. One brother in law sent us all used laptops when his company was switching over to new ones. We just had to pay $25.00 for shipping. I got 4, 2 still work pretty good. He must have shipped out around 40 (I have a big family). There was no information or anything like that on them. I am a glorified secretary, with a very boring life. I have had fun jobs over the years, like working on a dinner cruise ship, working at a printing press, made christmas lights, worked in retail. Unfortunately, the money sucks and you get no benefits. So, that is what I do. They call me a Financial Analyst, I just laugh and laugh. I am not even sure what that is. Oh well, the pay is good. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/68 "2014-04-29T02:16:41Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Hehe , here is how the usual discussion of what I do goes like. > > Some person: “So what do you do?” > Me: "I’m a programmer"_please don’t ask, please don’t ask_ One of my first tech leads used to answer with “I organize ones and zeros into useful patterns.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/69 "2014-04-29T02:46:10Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Hehe , here is how the usual discussion of what I do goes like. > > Some person: “So what do you do?” > Me: “I’m a programmer"_please don’t ask, please don’t ask_ > SP: “What kind of programming do you do?” > Me_Dammit_"Well I don’t do much actual programming anymore, I’m more of a technical project lead these days” > SP: _Blank stare_"You’re a manager" > Me “Nope I don’t deal with people stuff” > SP _pause_ “are you a Project manager?” > Me “Nope, I don’t give a crap about the budget,or application scope function-point complexity to man-hours ratio” > SP; “So what do you do?” > Me: “well mostly I over see a project and look for everything everyone else is doing wrong” > SP: “So you’re a tester?” > Me “Not even close. Basically every large project has about 20 groups involved; Enterprise architects, analysts, Security, Project managers, release managers,Business,DBA, Operations, Corporate standards, Programmers, testers etc. None of whom know a damn thing about any other piece of it. So I translate, fix,negotiate,threaten,beg, redesign,recode, optimize, or throw away and everything else you can think of involved in making sure we end up with a useful, reality-based,maintainable, standardized application, somewhat close to the estimate I pulled out of my ass 18 months earlier” > SP:" Ohhhhhhhh… umkay’ SAP? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/70 "2014-04-29T03:03:32Z")
In a previous life I worked with immunoconjugates to design antibody-drug conjugates to supplement monoclonal antibody therapies. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/71 "2014-04-29T17:38:52Z")
I’m a proposal writer, and in casual conversation I don’t even bother to try to explain what I actually do – because sometimes I’m a proposal coordinator, sometimes I’m more like a proposal manager, sometimes I also write white papers and RFI responses, etc. I usually leave it at “I write proposals for a federal contractor” and ignore any blank stares. (Though I will admit that “proposal writer” is easier for the average person to understand than “technical writer,” which is what I did for ~15 years before changing careers to business development.) Trying to explain DRFPs, Capture, and pre-proposal work to friends/family members always results in polite smiling and nodding. I show mercy by refraining from mentioning terms like “Section L”… > [@TruCelt](#): > > Seriously? Federal Acquisition Regulations with DFAR and NASA supplements, TINA, ITAR requirements, CAS reporting, DCAA and GAO audit guidelines, SBA Size and Socio-economic challenge classsifications as defined by NAICS Code, and even still the occasional Mil-SPEC. . . I actually know what all of those acronyms stand for! > [@Dogzilla](#): > > 1. Advanced Word formatting, as in how to set tabs and when to use a continuous page break vs. a same page section break. > > 2. Also, I know what to do with the semicolon. Yeah, I do that, too. 🙂 > [@Iggy](#): > > In a previous life I worked with immunoconjugates to design antibody-drug conjugates to supplement monoclonal antibody therapies. Now you’re just making words up. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/72 "2014-04-29T18:37:23Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > . . . > > I actually know what all of those acronyms stand for! > > > [@Iggy](#): > > > > In a previous life I worked with immunoconjugates to design antibody-drug conjugates to supplement monoclonal antibody therapies. > > Now you’re just making words up. And I learned all of those doing proposals for NIH projects. LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/73 "2014-04-29T18:45:16Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > And I learned all of those doing proposals for NIH projects. LOL! When you mentioned SBA classifications and NAICS codes, I had a feeling proposals might be involved… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maeganspop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Maeganspop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeganspop)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847/74 "2014-05-12T21:49:06Z")
Sorry I took so long to reply. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You make circuit boards? Pretty much. I run a machine that places very tiny electrical components on circuit boards. > [@beowulff](#): > > _Stuff_. Exactly! > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I know exactly what that means. Ever have to run one? Serious pain sometimes. > [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > I’ve spent way too many hours on a factory floor. > > (programs/runs the machine that populates the circuit board. It’s impressive to watch in action!) Impressive to watch when it runs. Pain when it decides to stop. Since you have many hours on the factory floor, I’m sure you know what I mean. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Most likely that you’ll be out of work soon. Not real sure about that, we are a small company and are buying a second machine. (and a second headache) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-for-work-that-no-one-gets/686847.md?page=3)