“What do you do for a living?”
This has always been a fun question.
My dad (also in IT) told me a story about my late Grandfather (retired steelworker) asking him, “Son, I just don’t get it, people pay you to just press buttons all day?”
Dad, who was probably around my age now at the time of this exchange: “Well, it’s about pressing them in the right order.”
I may have had some genetic help on being a Wisenheimer.
But seriously, that’s techie “imposter syndrome” 101.
We just press buttons.
When I started doing event work, about 12 years ago, I used to describe myself as a “digital carnie” — just went from town to town making lights go blink, blink.
A few years in, I had whipped that elevator pitch into “I help make awesome stuff, from idea to execution — we do it all.”
That was a bit. . Better?
Now?
I can show you how to get the job done, the right way, for WAY less time.
That works. And it’s built on years of experience, it’s what people ACTUALLY want to hear.
Most tech consultants I’ve worked with, or “solutions engineers”, whatever Cracker Jack title of the month they’ve come up with, just BURY you in these lengthy introductions and explanations, more thesaurus than substance.
It’s all TALK, usually followed by an inflated timeline and ridiculous bill, with zero results.
While those jokers give consultants a bad name, some of us actually know what we’re doing, have the scars to prove it.
Sometimes, you just need to know which buttons to push.