"What do you do for a living?"

[Kevin]

I go with GeeksChat and give the generic "computer programmer" answer because it is so much easier then try to explain to people what my position really encompasses. Plus, as noted above, most people really don't care to know the specifics, a general overview is enough to satisfy their curiosity and they continue on. The only time it backfires is when somebody confuses "computer programmer" for "free tech support for anything & everything that uses electricity" and I then need to gracefully deal with it.

That and the loneliness... no amount of being able to wear your jarmies all day can compensate for the lack of adult conversation, and work place stimulation.

On the days that I work remotely (aka: work from home), I tend to talk with my dog. Some of the most relaxing conversations I have all week.

 

[Kim]

On the days that I work remotely (aka: work from home), I tend to talk with my dog. Some of the most relaxing conversations I have all week.

My doggie is another who thinks that me being home is obviously for her pleasure, she nags me all day to play with her or take her out for walkies hehehe but sometimes it is so cute she just lies on my feet and snoozes.

 

[Danny.VBT]

This is a good point but grossly under-analyzed in certain important aspects that aren't very blatant.

Sorry if I wasn't being clear. I meant why bother with people who specifically judge a person's character based solely on one's occupation.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with asking the question "what do you do for a living?" As you said, one of the common threads of humanity is labor, so why not use it to break the ice and try to foster some common ground?

It's odd that despite the enormous growth of the technological industry, most people are largely unaware about what programmers do. I've been web programming for over 10 years, and my father still thinks I am into computer hacking. My friends too are completely oblivious to what I do. They just know whenever I have a deadline coming up to not bother calling me. At the moment, I simply say "I make web sites," which doesn't create too much commotion.

 

[Paul B]

When I was much younger and in the military, my friend and I used to make up jobs (as we weren't permitted to reveal our actual jobs).
Some of which were: manual pebble-dasher, dolphin trainer (in a place where there was no water, never mind dolphins), leaf inspector, etc.

You would be surprised just how gullible some people are

It was a surprisingly good tactic for getting the ladies

 

[Jay]

It was a surprisingly good tactic for getting the ladies

That "leaf inspector" line had them swooning huh .

 

[Peggy]

That "leaf inspector" line had them swooning huh .

naw, it was the manual pebble-dasher, I'm betting. Gets a gal every time....

 

[Dean]

For those that do make a living off of forums, the list of possible skill sets involved is quite lengthy..

Parent, Janitor, psychotherapist, psychologist, manager, social director, business owner, software...

 

[Blackbeard]

I just tell people, I'm FUNEmployed.
Often they hear unemployed...
then I go order my ipad, new toy or whatever the case maybe.

 

[kkm323]

Its indeed a difficult question to answer, although I still think there is nothing wrong with telling the truth. Your job is not something you should be ashamed of but rather proud of it.

 

[Mert]

The very worst thing about working from home, that assumption that you can do all the housework, that you can do all the errands, that people can just drop in on you, or come and see you during the day, that you are not actually working as such, but are a very convenient haus frau available for anyone to make use of during the day.

That and the loneliness... no amount of being able to wear your jarmies all day can compensate for the lack of adult conversation, and work place stimulation.

Fully agree with that. However there is one thing i want to add. People always say working from home is an amazing thing , it is actually not. It is not even good for marriages as when you spend 7x24 together with your wife , you tend to miss missing her. And when you have a kid that didn't start school yet , it is also amazing to find out how they can distract you from the job you are doing.

 

[EQnoble]

I figured out a solution for you...now you can work from home and still be able to come home after a days work to see your family...

 

[John]

All you computer/web geeks need to get a 'real' job and then you wouldn't have this problem!

 

[Anthony Parsons]

I think its a question that is normally asked for talking points when initially meeting someone... I don't usually ask myself, because the return is, "what do you do?" When telling someone I am retired, at my age, their little mind runs wild with how much do I have in the bank! My own circumstances of not wanting to answer, without lying and making something up to make them feel better, is my reason more than anything for not asking such questions of another. Irony!!! Possibly so...

 

[EQnoble]

It shouldn't matter what you do though really...I mean as long as you do what you do with pride, who cares.

Short of being a criminal, why not be proud of whatever you do every minute (though many criminals pride themselves on "getting away with things" so let's just assume we are all honest people here.)

If you flip burgers for a living...flip those damn burgers like a boss and do it with pride. If your not happy with where you are at, pull a George and Weezie and move it on up.

 

[Trekkan]

I always just answer "Software Developer" and that is usually enough for most people, they think "boring" and are ready to move on to a new subject. The only thing that really bothers me is when they then ask WHERE I work. Because where I work is a very well known company and people assume a variety of things (generally, all wrong) based on the name alone.