In the early days of my career, when I would tell people I worked for an electronics distributor, their eyes would light up with fascination. The era of personal electronics was just dawning and the public was mesmerized. Once I clarified that I worked primarily with industrial manufacturers, their eyes would instantly glaze over. While consumer electronics was considered sexy, the industrial sector was more utilitarian. Critical of course, but hardly fodder for cocktail party chitchat.
