Like for example, how someone thinks because you work in IT you can fix their TV, or how if you’re into music you must be able to play any random instrument.
I just like hearing pros rant about about their very niche problems.
I write electronic music. Misconception is that some assume people actually listen to my music.
i like linux
people think i’m a hacker because i use the terminal sometimes
i don’t know shit bruh
Whenever people find out I have a math degree, they tell me how bad they are at math. They seem almost proud about it. Nobody ever brags about being bad at English. They also assume I’m really good at arithmetic or counting, a la Rain Man or something. I am not.
As a geologist, it is maddening when people assume I know about something archaeological.
Or when they assume I know where to find gemstones for free lying on the ground.
I have been a machinist/model maker for 10 years now.
No, I can’t just take your .prt/.iges/.stl/.stp file and “load it into the machine and press the green button”.
I use that quote because it was said to me by a particularly arrogant engineering intern. Machining is a complex trade that is made to seem simple because of software and modern automation. While that is fantastic for my profession, it brings with it this idea that I’m not really doing all that much work. Reality is that I’m constantly applying my knowledge of the trade and the things I do might be subtle to the onlookers, but there was a lesson learned before now that took me hours or days to overcome. I train a lot of our machining interns now who are mostly folks in the 20-25 years old range and every single on of them so far as had that humbling moment of “Oh I learned about this in the classroom and did it on the simulator, I know exactly what I’m doing” only to fail. Its a great line of work that is very satisfying for a lot of reasons but it does grind my gears when its portrayed as being unskilled or easy.
I think a lot of people would benefit from learning on manual machines. I had this misconception in my early twenties, but watching (and then using) manual machines was really helpful.
Look, I know my model has a hole that turns 90 degrees midway through. Just make your machine do it.
“It looks great on CAD”
The most obvious one I’ve come across is when people learn fountain pens still exist their first assumption is you use it for art, specifically calligraphy.
They are literally just pens. You can use them for anything you would normally do with a pen, and in fact most nibs are not really tuned for any kind of calligraphy at all (and in most cases that would be better done digitally, with brushes, or with special markers these days).
Also my handwriting is shit so I’m just salty lmao.
When I was an active in a band, “You should play our _________ (usually a very busy bar or restaurant), we can’t pay you, but it’ll be great exposure.”
Not infuriating but intriguing, when I worked in safety car crashes a lot of people asked me if I was inside the car during the crashes… Never thought that would be the first thing coming up to mind to people but it did happen a lot.
As somebody that’s involved in Linux and Software Development, being constantly asked to “look at my computer”
Look, I probably can? But I’m not going to, and certainly not for free. I haven’t used Windows in years, and honestly, I mostly go out of my way to avoid knowing anything about what’s going on in Windows-land. I’m going to be sitting there websearching for random stuff just like you are. Take to the geek squad, or something. I don’t wanna.
As somebody that works on his own stuff, and has worked as a Professional Mechanic in a past life?
No, I don’t really want to look at your grocery getter. No, I don’t get any special deal on parts pricing. No, I’m not actually going to be cheaper than taking it to a shop, in many cases. No, the mechanics at the shops probably aren’t giving you an unlubed and unwilling anal probing. They’re expensive for a reason.
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I’m an oncologist. When online, it drives me mad and almost personally offended (at least to the extent a hardened former Twitter and Reddit user can be offended!) when I come across variants of the old ”cancer care does more harm than good” trope. If so, I’d have quit my job and chosen a way more lucrative specialty. Interestingly, I almost never encounter that type of argument in real life, only by random people on the internet.
Instead, people IRL seem rather convinced that we wade in pain, sorrow and grief all day. Sometimes, that results in me holding a speech about how much I get back from my patients, the joy of curing someone from metastatic melanoma, or how I somehow end up having a good laugh with someone almost every day at work. I usually can’t summon that kind of patience, though.
Yes, women CAN work on cars, and be good at it.
No, not every mechanic is trying to screw you over.
Yes, all the work/the price I quoted IS accurate. There are other parts that interact with the part you broke. Having a race car isn’t cheap.
No, we can’t just put a new valve in the head, since you bent the old one, and fucked up the seat, guide, etc in the process.
Yes, I know A LOT about Mazda/Nissan, specifically, but I’m not an encyclopedia. Sometimes I do have to look shit up, as much as it annoys you.
No, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car from a 3 word description by you. I’m not psychic.
Yes, we have a scan too, but, no, it doesn’t tell you exactly what’s wrong. It points you in the right direction, sure, SOMETIMES.
No, I’m not being lazy, your car isn’t doing whatever intermittent issue you were complaining about.
I’m at an advanced level of knitting and crochet. I wear a lot of the things I knit to work and I decorate my office with my crochet.
Almost every single person I met has uttered to me, “This is so good! You should sell these.” They assume that 1) I would ever do this for a profit motive and 2) that anyone would even buy my work at the price point I establish.
I just recently finished a sweater vest (link in my profile) that used 8 yarns. The cost of just materials was close to $350. And then I also time my projects, which for torso pieces for me are never fewer than 100 hours. The sweater vest ended up being just shy of 184 hours. So once you consider the cost of labor and expertise, this sweater vest is worth over $2,700 at even minimum wage for the area I live in.
There’s absolutely no way I would consider selling my work!
The ol’ yarn arts dilemma - why buy a thing when I can make one for 10x the cost??
🤣🤣 So you get it.
When I was an active in a band, “You should play our _________ (usually a very busy bar or restaurant), we can’t pay you, but it’ll be great exposure.”
I am a Windows and Cloud administrator. As soon as people hear cloud and computers, they start thinking that I am personally involved with building the metaverse and could work for NASA. Meanwhile, all the people on the technical sites and subreddits inflame my imposter syndrome every day.
Every time someone learns that I build PCs as a hobby, they almost all ask me about things relating to electrical engineering. Look, socketing a CPU isn’t rocket science. And no, I can’t fix your computer.
If you can’t fix my computer can you fix my wifi instead?
sure, but it’s a $200 callout fee, and $250 per hour.
That usually stops them dead in their tracks.
After I get done with your printer.
just use a sledge hammer. Used properly, a sledge hammer can ensure pretty much anything will never break again.
even if i could, no. i dont wanna be everyones free it.
socketing a CPU isn’t rocket science
Speak for yourself… I trashed a CPU by socketing it in the wrong way around… I’m super lucky that Intel happily replaced it instead of saying “Nope, you destroyed it, you dumbass”
More than 20 years ago we had an intern who was tasked with putting CPUs and RAM on motherboards, which were sold as ‘tuning kits’ for older PCs. He was left on his own for nearly the whole day, because the guy who was in charge was out for the rest of the day. The next day the when he was back the intern came in and was kicked out immediately, because on all of the ~100-200 kits he built that day the CPU was inserted the wrong way around.
I certainly hope someone was fired for that blunder.
