I've described myself as a programmer for many years. When saying this to new people at parties I find they seem scared they will be button-holed into a tedious conversation with a socially-inept geek. They seem to be starting to look around for an escape route. I have to quickly change the subject to save the conversation.
For years my in-laws badgered me for PC tech support. Finally, I explained it like this, "Think of computers as if they were TVs. If I'm a writer for a specific TV show, it doesn't mean I can fix your TV when you're having trouble with it."