After I became an IT guy, in my parents' eyes I was as remarkable as the protagonist of The Matrix; in my relatives' eyes I was someone sitting in an office building working in air-conditioned comfort; in my friends' eyes I was just a computer repairman; in my peers' eyes I was someone hanging out in internet cafés; in my girlfriend's eyes I was Duan Xiaolei who made a glamorous turn from security guard to engineer; the way I ideally look should be like people such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, but actually I am someone who stays at home smoking, eating snacks, and working overtime until 3 a.m.

The professional image others see of you is always glamorous, but the actual working state has many troubles. As the "In Their Eyes" memes for various professions — the programmer version, engineer version, designer version, web editor version, university version, and so on — spread since February 2012, people found resonance in this illustrated form of "venting" and used this kind of self-deprecating approach to vent the misunderstandings and grievances encountered in real work and life, leaving viewers dazzled and teary-eyed.

Whenever I see all kinds of "In Their Eyes" memes on Weibo, and see that everyone has so many career pains, I feel quite helpless. "We judge ourselves by what we are capable of doing, but others judge us by what we have already done." From these pictures, we see the gap between dreams and reality...

"In Their Eyes" Meme Template

"When I become XX, in my parents' eyes... in my girlfriend's or boyfriend's eyes... in passerby A's eyes... in my peers' eyes... in my own eyes... but actually I am..."

For example, the web editor version

In my parents' eyes, it's like a primary school student playing on the computer; in the editor-in-chief's eyes, it's like a cat surfing the Internet; the actual me, though, is sitting in front of the computer in a daze...

Also, the online store owner version

In my parents' eyes, I am a poor child; in my classmates' eyes, I've made a fortune; in the dear customers' eyes, I am just a profiteer; ideally Jack Ma, Ma Huateng, and I are the troika of the Internet; the realistic me is someone who carries a load of goods on my back every day...

Did you know:

"In Their Eyes" is a way of speaking that became popular on the Internet in February 2012. In an illustrated form, it humorously describes the image of a certain profession or role you are engaged in, as seen through the "eyes" of parents, friends, lovers, passersby, and other perspectives.