[decafninja]

"I do computer stuff" is how I usually answer people asking what my job is.

Most people don't seem to understand anything beyond that. They also lump SWEs with all other "computer people" including helpdesk, networking engineers, etc.

Edit: Actually, whenever I visit the SFBA, even non-tech people do seem to understand what a SWE/developer is. However home in NYC, they don't. So hence the "I do computer stuff" answer I give.