Explaining our Hobby to Non-Programmers

[overburn]

But damn you guys, I need love

so program yourself a woman

p.s. am i the only one here whose girlfriend is a total techno-weener?

[earlz]

I suppose so... I tried showing my girlfriend my code and she was like.. scared.. lol

She doesn't seem to take interest in my programming stuff.. just gets angry when I don't call or text her due to me programming some hardcore thing(you know, when you got it all figured out and you just have to see it work and run and its going to be amazing? just need 50 more lines of code! and then my girlfriend calls me... grr.. lol)

[overburn]

yeah... i know the feeling

[JackScott]

Met my girlfriend through IRC, she's taking Perl courses at Uni (and loving them), can do websites, code PHP well, and regularly logs into a selection of SSH servers to do what she calls "geeking". Of course, Solar still wins.

[jal]

Wow,this is so right Solar. =D>

Near where I live, there's little see. We brag about our lake boats :).


JAL

[redoktober]

i know what you mean, troy!

the girl i like is in my course, doing a degree in computer information systems...
..thing is, she just isn't into programming!
she's more into math and applied science, specially chemistry!

i hate chem.
but the best part is, she helps me out with chem...i help her out with programming...and we both help each other in american history and art appreciation..

the other day, i told her about my plans to write an OS of my own.
she looked at me, and said, "wow!".
that was NOT what i expected...i was so scared she'd think i'm not good boyfriend material!!

and this has made my resolve stronger...i'm going to ask her out soon!!

[Troy Martin]

Duuuude, I told some people in my CS class that I'm writing an OS and they all said "bullshit."

There better be some more geeky people in my IT11 class next year... (you can take grade 11 computers classes in grade 9 at my school)

[redoktober]

heck, mate!
these people don't deserve to be in CS!

now that's cool, being allowed to do IT11 in grade 9...wish i had that chance..<sniffles>

[Troy Martin]

Yeah, it's pretty awesome. This is the way it will go for me:

Code: Select all

CS8 (full of idiots) -> IT11 -> Networking 11 -> Networking 12 (write Cisco certification exam for free, woot!)

[redoktober]

wow!

i only got past CCNA 1....then, i wasn't able to do CCNA 2 'cause of time constraints..

but you've got it good!!!

[Troy Martin]

That's Canada for ye! Nutritious lunches and making fun of the deep southern U.S. of A.

[redoktober]

i'm planning it this way:

Code: Select all

>Finish off with the rest of my minors;
>Ask out the girl of my dreams;
>If she says yes, everything else is put ON HOLD;
>If she says no, life goes on, albeit in a duller tone.

the rest of my 3 years in university...i got plenty of time to think about it!


:DD
then i guess i'd better abandon all plans to go to texas, and think about michigan!

[rajika]

my girlfriend

Liar! Just kidding.

Damn, I wish I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend. Don't give a rat's @$$ if she wouldn't understand what the hell our hobby is, I just need love.

I am sorry to hear that dude, you are not the only person who is in that boat

Solar is correct, I keep these to myself, unless otherwise the other one don't understand OS internals.

[rajika]

i know what you mean, troy!

the girl i like is in my course, doing a degree in computer information systems...
..thing is, she just isn't into programming!
she's more into math and applied science, specially chemistry!

i hate chem.
but the best part is, she helps me out with chem...i help her out with programming...and we both help each other in american history and art appreciation..

the other day, i told her about my plans to write an OS of my own.
she looked at me, and said, "wow!".
that was NOT what i expected...i was so scared she'd think i'm not good boyfriend material!!

and this has made my resolve stronger...i'm going to ask her out soon!!

ha ha good luck dude! tell us the result...will you?

[stephenj]

i know what you mean, troy!

the girl i like is in my course, doing a degree in computer information systems...
..thing is, she just isn't into programming!
she's more into math and applied science, specially chemistry!

i hate chem.
but the best part is, she helps me out with chem...i help her out with programming...and we both help each other in american history and art appreciation..

the other day, i told her about my plans to write an OS of my own.
she looked at me, and said, "wow!".
that was NOT what i expected...i was so scared she'd think i'm not good boyfriend material!!

and this has made my resolve stronger...i'm going to ask her out soon!!

Why soon rather than now? I can understand if the two of you are currently working together and it would be mutually dangerous to make her uncomfortable around you. Other than that, the worst she can say is "no!"

One word of warning, dating within your program is something you may want to avoid doing. If something goes wrong, you're probably going to have to deal with seeing her, and her crazy friends, on a daily basis for the rest of your degree*. I've made this mistake.

That isn't to say that it shouldn't be done. I'm just saying that you should be careful.

* It can go beyond the degree if you are like me and live in a small city. I already know people in all the local major programming companies and have connections to many smaller companies. Getting a bad reputation can be a career limiting move here, and having someone with a chip on their shoulder against you (in the industry) could very well trigger that. That didn't happen to me (to the best of my knowledge) but it could have.

As for the original topic, I don't explain what I do, if people ask what I do, I tend to focus on work details, such as my employer and a broad description of my project (people are more comfortable with that topic). This has the added advantage that it gives THEM something to talk about (their employer/project).

Of my entire family, only my father (who is also a programmer) knows about my OS/language. The rest of my family knows that programming is my hobby, but has no clue what I program. It isn't that they don't care, it is just that they don't understand. All they really need to understand is that I'm interested in and happy with my hobby, and that is what matters to them.