JD - job description

I couldn't resist writing this in response to SH's blog entry about her job. At least people still will understand what her job is.

Mine goes like this.

What do you work as?

Mindy: An engineer

Ohhh... Intel ah?

Mindy: No, Altera (cheh, as if Intel is the only company of engineers on the earth)

*blank face* Factory ah?

Mindy: (thinking whether I should correct them to say it's a R&D company and not a factory but decides it would take too much effort to explain so....) Yes.


*happy to have guess that it's a factory correctly so continues asking* So what do you do there?

Mindy: Altera produces FPGA's which are programmable chips and I work on the software that programs those chips.

*Person trying to nod politely to mask the fact that he/she has no idea what I'm talking about sees that this is going to lead to a very boring topic and turns to Yin How*

So where do you work?

Yin How: Dell

*Expression suddenly changes as if the person has heard the most interesting thing in the world* Wah... Dell ah? I want to buy a Dell laptop, what do you recommend?. Do you get employee purchase prices? Is this Dell laptop model still good? I have an old laptop with the keyboard spoiled, can I still get a replacement? That day I called Dell customer service and ....etc, etc etc

Conservation about Dell goes on and on sometimes lasting over an hour. And Yin How suddenly becomes a Dell laptop guru, giving his expert advice on all things Dell. My friends and relatives who need anything from Dell? They call their new best friend for help, Yin How.

And at the end of the conversation, the only thing about people can remember about my job is .... that I work in a factory.

;)