I deal with this problem all the time. My job is very difficult to explain, even to people that are experienced in STEM subjects. Explaining what I do is tedious, both to me and them, and it doesn't really improve their lives in any way - especially since all they usually learn is how to parrot back my explanation without any real understanding. My wife even gave up trying to understand my job, let alone explain it.
#Tell them you cannot give them details because of intellectual property (IP) rights, or a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Tell them you cannot give them details because of intellectual property (IP) rights, or a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
This works for me almost all of the time. In most fields where this problem is applicable, there will be some kind of NDA or other IP protection in place. Use it. If there isn't anything like that, and you feel comfortable fibbing, this is still an effective tactic. The conversation would go something like this:
A: What do you do for a living?
B: I'm a researcher in mathematics.
A: Oh cool! What exactly do you research? Or what do you do all day?
B: Well, the math I research is really abstract, and honestly not super exciting. I mostly write papers and things like that, but I really can't get into the specifics since I have an NDA with the University.
