Do your parents understand what it is you do?

Mine don’t. I was talking to my mom tonight and she kept mentioning how I “…did thing with investments” and was involved in “investment research” and how I should get in touch with a retail broker friend of hers. I’m in manager research. lol

Steely Dan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mine don’t. I was talking to my mom tonight and > she kept mentioning how I “…did thing with > investments” and was involved in “investment > research” and how I should get in touch with a > retail broker friend of hers. > > I’m in manager research. lol I come from a household that can’t perform basic algebra. My parents were shocked that I managed to get through four semesters of calculus in college. I dont try to explain to them what I do…I just tell them I do a lot of math at work lol

I tell people what I do, but when they introduce me to others I become either: 1. Stock brocker 2. Accountant 3. Banker I don’t even bother correcting them anymore.

My step-mother never understood why I “wanted to be a stock broker.” Good thing my dad married smarter when he wanted to reproduce.

I tell people I am a male rent boy. Less embarassing than telling people I work in banking. It’s not necessary for my mum to know what I do, she only cares that I am happy doing what I do. Anything else is superfluous.

Mom used to think that I was one of those guys from “Barbarians at the Gate.” I explained that people in private equity don’t make that kind of money, especially junior folks, and that was only a Hollywood film.

to anyone outside the world of finance, the perception is that our job is to make money, and thus we are grouped into “he’s an investment guy” "he does something with money and investments’ “he picks stocks and I guess trades them”. On the contrary, if you were to tell me you work in engineering or psychology, I could pretty much pinpoint exactly what you do after a 5 minute conversation. I also think its self-fulfilling, we realize that most people pigeonhole us into money-hungry animals, so we dont bother getting into much detail about our job at thanksgiving dinner. Hence enforcing the unknown

Reminds me of the old office episode I saw last night Girl to Michael Scott - So what do you do? Michael Scott to girl - I’m a bank teller MS to camera - Ryan told me that whenever a girl asks what you do, tell her you work in finance

1morelevel Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I tell people what I do, but when they introduce > me to others I become either: > > 1. Stock brocker > 2. Accountant > 3. Banker > > I don’t even bother correcting them anymore. Sounds like me. It really bugs me that people have misperceptions of what I do. When many people hear “xsellside works in investments”, I think they get an image of an Ed Jones “financial advisor” pitching annuity products and life insurance. Or if it is framed up “works in finance”, it must mean I work at a bank doing loans and such. To answer the original question, my parents have an idea of what I do, it’s just they are not very good at explaining it to others!

To my mom there are two potential career paths in life: a) doctor, b) not a doctor. Unfortunately I chose b).

My mom vaguely knows what I want to do. Mostly she jusst asks me for stock and portfolio tips… My dad is a lawyer and is pretty savvy for an outsider. He is probably one of the smartest people i’ve ever talked to though, so it makes sense.

My parents don’t speak English…

my parents don’t know what i do and i don’t know what they do. we both just assume the other works for the mob. it’s easier that way

swaptiongamma Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My parents don’t speak English… but do they know what do you do for living?

^ They are kind of confused since I am from software and read this ‘finance’ stuff… they think I am on my way to become a CA!

my husband doesn’t understand what i do!

No. My dad thinks I am a teller (not that there is anything wrong with making a living that way) But then again, I have no idea what he does. Something in the medical field becuase he works for a hospital. Beyond that I have no idea what he does.

My mom thinks when her heating bill goes up I had something to do with it. Beyond that she has no clue what I do.

When people ask my wife what I do she says “…uhh. Something with money?” My mother-in-law always calls me an accountant and tells people I am studying for my CPA. My Dad and Mom know resonably well what I do, but my sister thinks I’m a writer for some reason. I guess because I mentioned something about writing research reports.

My parents kind of know what I do, at a very high level. Pretty sure they think I’m a lot more important than I actually am, but I suppose that’s normal. My friends, on the other hand, don’t have a clue. They tell me I’m like Chandler from Friends, because no one knows what I actually do.