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Few things are more annoying than being asked a seemingly innocent question: “Oh, you're a programmer? I have a problem with my printer…” You may wonder what’s wrong with it. Well, how about “Oh, you’re an accountant? I have some tax questions I want to ask you!”

You see, it would be totally fine if it wasn’t so absurdly irritating. Talking about our professions is one thing, but assuming you know something the other person needs and thus, you have to help, even though it has little to do with your job, is another.

So when someone asked to share the annoying stuff people ask when you tell them your profession, it blew up on r/AskReddit, amassing 79.5k upvotes and 23.9k comments. Let’s see what people had to say and don’t forget to tell us what questions about your profession annoy you in the comment section below!

#1

"Oh you're a geologist? What kind of rock is this?" Just kidding, we love that s**t and will tell you a long story of the history of that rock and how we saw examples in the field in the middle of nowhere.

CarbineFox Report

#2

"Oh you work in Social Media? How do I blow up my Instagram/Youtube?"

Conversation usually then goes somewhat like this:

"You need to provide good content that matches your target audience."

"Yeah....but I don't want to put any real work into that."

"Then buy 500k fake subs from India or China."

"But they are not real people."

"Well you are not providing any real content."

DrPCox85 Report

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vikrant-talponkar avatar
Vic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, I'm from India! How do I sell this "subs" thingy? Anyone buying?

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#3

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh, you're a pharmacist? Well I have this huge, gaping wound on my left butt cheek, can you look at it and tell me what I can use over the counter?"

Sir... Please go to the hospital...

brow3477 , Clean Wal-Mart Report

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Valentina Vitale
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously - you’re actually going to come to the counter and show me (and everyone) the rash under your breasts??!

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Confused conversational partners are real and they occur more often than we’d like. Think of the last time you told someone “I work for myself as a freelance writer” and received “Oh, so you, like, write books?” Most of us devote so much time and effort to our careers, it’s kind of irritating to get all those sorts of questions from people who have no clue what you’re doing (and often, they suppose they do!)

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So, how to speak about your profession to people so you can share your enthusiasm and not receive any more annoying questions? To find out how to talk about your profession like a pro, Bored Panda reached out to Kat Boogard, a Wisconsin-based freelance writer who specializes in writing on careers and self-development. Kat told us that the real hangup is that we use our careers to define ourselves. That’s the reason why so many of us become irritated by the “what do you do?” question.

#4

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh you're a Graphic Designer? Can you make a logo for me really quick? It's for my cousin's birthday. I don't have any money to pay but I'll have multiple revisions that will cut into your actual paying work time, but then get upset when you ask for payment"

DJRonin , Leni_und_Tom Report

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stonewoodoo avatar
Falcon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where's the part where they call themselves an influencer and want free stuff for "exposure"

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#5

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "You're invited to my.. party/event/wedding/celebration.. please could you bring your camera"

imontiza , eltpics Report

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a photographer. Was in the wedding party. The mother of the bride was irate that I didn't bring my camera (I was never asked to), because "who's going to take photos of the reception / bridal waltz / cutting of the cake?". She was so angry, that it was impossible to remain friends with the couple. I now pre-empt all invitations, with the fact that I do NOT work, when a guest.

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#6

"You're in the Air Force? So you fly planes?"

Nah I fly a desk.

cjt11203 Report

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Viviane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once worked for the Air Force. As a graphic designer. I can't fly a plane, but I give you plenty of reasons why planes crash, heheheh.

heinz57 avatar
Tuesdays Child
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was in my uniform to get my military discount for my flight. Nice old lady kept telling me how sweet I was for being a stewardess for the Air Force pilots. She did realize I was really in the Air force, just was 100% sure I was a stewardess. I smiled and said, "Yes, it is nice."

confred78 avatar
Marlowe Fitzpatrik
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is so annoying. Meeting nice, friendly, lovable people who insult you but not meaning to, and you can't bring yourself to correct them because they're lovely.

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redinflorida avatar
_
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the job you do allows those plane to fly! With love, an Air Force brat and spouse :)

marneederider40 avatar
Marnie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You might get tired of being asked, but it isn't a dumb question.

njscrutton avatar
OhForSmegSake
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dad was in the Air Force. He didn't fly the planes but he did make sure they stayed up in the sky (aircraft engineer).

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Billy The Kid
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

no I fly elephants and sometimes unicorns depending on the weather

davy278 avatar
Dave Jones
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How many people in the Air Force actually fly planes though? There are a lot of jobs in the Air Force that don’t involve flying planes, so perhaps may be we see some if that arrogance that pilots are know for.

glenndgeelhoed avatar
Glenn Geelhoed
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A former student of mine just finished her first year at the Academy. She doesn't know if she's going to or not. I read that 80 percent of graduates are flight qualified, which is cool.

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Philly Bob Squires
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

RE: The Liberty Bell.... "Hi! Do you give a talk on the bell?" No, last time I talked on the bell, I fell off..."

kotakat3 avatar
CharliAnn Olney
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was a historian in the Air Force. Yes, I was a writer. A writer that put out the equivalent of a Master's Thesis Four times a year. And people still wanted me to write charming little stories to read to their children!

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“That can cause real problems for a lot of people. Maybe they're laid off or between jobs. Maybe they're starting their own business. Or maybe they work in a career that's not super 'obvious' to a lot of people. That means the 'what do you do?' question can inspire a lot of dread and even self-doubt.”

Kat said that the best way to describe your profession is just doing it head-on, “with the knowledge that a lot of careers are going to require more explanation than others.”

Moreover, “what do you do?” is often a default conversation starter, but Kat assured us that there are plenty of other ways to get the discussion rolling, like asking someone what hobbies they enjoy.

#7

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh you're an artist ? Can you draw me, I'll pay you with exposure"

KalosKaghatoss , Christian SengerFollow Report

#8

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh, you're a teacher? Please explain to me how my child's teacher had the audacity to give them a C despite it being very obvious that my child is a genius!"

Bonus points if they want you to explain the grading criteria in a completely different subject and level of schooling than you teach. Like, I teach high school and community college English and Social Studies - why do you expect me to know the grading criteria for middle school math?

Theartofdodging , Daniel Nugent Report

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#9

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh your a musician, play that one that goes, bun dum dum bun dum donn bom"

bigEchees , Mitch Bennett Report

Kat also suggested a way to deal with people who think they know everything about your profession. “As a freelance writer, I get a lot of puzzled looks when I tell people what I do for a living. Then they quickly move into the assumptions—like that I write books or I don't do much of anything all day.”

She usually uses an example that people can relate to her career in their daily lives. “So, when people are struggling to understand what I do, I'll say something like this: 'You know how when you're preparing for a job interview and you Google common interview questions? The articles that show up in the search results are the type of stuff that I write.'"

#10

"Oh you're employed by our company as a robotic process automation engineer, does that means we're all going to be replaced by robots?"

I've come up with the perfect response to this now. "No, just you"

Cyrus-187 Report

#11

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession “Oh you work for a law firm? My son’s ex-girlfriend wants full custody of their kid. What should he do?”

A. I’m a mass tort paralegal, I don’t do family law B. He needs to get a lawyer.

MelpomeneLee , osseous Report

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Viviane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A few friends have asked my law librarian husband for legal advice. Yes, he has a degree. In library studies. No, he did not have to pass the bar exam to get his job.

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#12

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession Oh you are an accountant, can you do my taxes?

No Mary i can't. I work for a corporate company not frigging H&R block. I mean I probably could but I don't wanna.

summerwritingcat , Motaz Altahir Report

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Blue
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah I work as an accountant as well and my friends ask me that ALL THE TIME. It's really annoying.

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#13

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh, you are a Mathematician? What is 35122*748383?"

Use a goddamn calculator.

Dark_Ruler , Caitie McManus Report

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Marcellus the Third
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Simple: it's ab where a=35122, b=748383. Only use for numbers outside of teaching is to order pages and footnotes/references.

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#14

"You work in a restaurent? How about treating me to dinner sometime?" - A lot of people assume that they can get free drinks and food just because I happen to serve food or tend the bar at the place. That is not how it works...Also "We are friends so I don't need to tip you!" - Well, that is how you got unfriended really quickly.

NoisyNatalie Report

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd be questioning the type of "lot of people" who keep asking you to steal. I've been in hospitality since I was 14 (paid my way through highschool & uni), and never had anyone ask me to steal for them. :o

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#15

I was going to have surgery and about 10 minutes before I was scheduled to go under the knife, the nurse asked me what I was studying. I told her I'm a computer science student and without skipping a beat she asked me to help her download WhatsApp on her Huawei!

Since I'm also studying genetics, I also often get requests like "does this rash look bad" or "can you clone my cat".

NO. LEAVE ME ALONE.

BloatedCrow Report

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#16

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession Oh, you work in construction? (Proceeds to ask about fixing things around the house, asking if something was installed wrong because it doesn't "look right", or wanting a price quotes for various projects)

New_Game_P1us , TLC Jonhson Report

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Gary
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or the other side of the coin. They ask you to quote and at the same time ask you how you propose to do what they are asking for. I'm sure as soon as I have left they are looking on YouTube to see how to do it themselves.

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#17

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh, you're a programmer? I have a idea of a cool app!"

lowleveldata , ah.radwan Report

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Momma Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will not pay you to develop the app, it will look good in your portfolio, so consider that your pay.

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#18

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession Oh you're a paramedic? I have this thing on my toe, Will you check it?

chumpidcul , Ambulance Report

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Neva Nevičica
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a friend who is a doctor and one who is not, and whenever we were hanging out, every conversation would turn into the non-doctor asking the doctor about her poop, periods, her grandmas prescriptions and hospital procedures. It was so exausting for the doctor (and me:D) that we stopped hanging out.

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#19

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession "Oh, you're a chemical analyst? You must know how to make drugs"

Absolute_Predator , Daniel Morrison Report

#20

Oh you’re an astronomer? Why is my outlook as Pisces so negative this month? I heard all the planets are going to be lined up what does that mean for my horoscope?

Rand_alThor_ Report

#21

So you're a dermatologist? Have a look at this mole I found conveniently between my butt cheeks during this lovely wedding ceremony.

Dr_immigrant Report

#22

"oh, you're a writer? Can you help with this very important legal letter?"

And a non-job bonus: "you're married to my programmer son, can you help me with my phone?" My husband gets the "you work in IT, my printer isn't working" questions from his mum. She thinks he does tech support. He programs systems for universities, government departments, etc.

KittikatB Report

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Andrew Robertson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"My husband gets the "you work in IT, my printer isn't working" questions from his mum." Sounds like a totally reasonable thing for a mum to ask her son.

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#23

"Oh, you're a truck driver? Can you come tell me what's wrong with my car?"

Umm, ma'am, I just drive the damn things... You want the shop guys for that.

tygs42 Report

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Marcellus the Third
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just go for the actually used technical language: "I think that's gonna cost ya, looks like the f***ing f***er is f***ing f***ed."

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#24

Oh you're a mechanical engineer, can you fix my car?

MHRolley Report

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Joy Stowe
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know 30 mechanical engineers and have worked with them every day for 14 years. Every one of them could fix your car. Not that they want to, but they can.

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#25

30 People Answer What's The Most Annoying Thing Others Say After Learning Their Profession Sell me this pen

DominoEfct1 , Brian Turner Report

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Andrea Serrano Morales
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ight bet, this pen has a 39.9% of ink and it has a 67% accuracy when writing, it has an incredible feature when writing, the ball inside will stop movin and the ink will not run into the writing surface. For a VERY fair price of $59.99 YOU can get this once in a lifetime opportunity of a not very well working pen! ( how did i do )

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See Also on Bored Panda
#26

Oh, you’re a therapist? tells me about their family member who really needs to see a therapist

Conscious_Tea Report

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Blarrg
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Therapist too. I get "Oh, are you analysing me?" Nope. Already finished.

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#27

Oh you're a nurse, can you have a look at my ingrowing toenail / tell me why I have a rash down below

shellshocked_637 Report

#28

Oh , you are a comedian? Tell me a joke.

Solum_Nox Report

#29

"Oh, you're an electrical engineer? Can you wire my garage?"

McDougal_Scarborough Report

#30

"Oh, you studied linguistics? What does this word mean?"

MountainGoatAOE Report

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a B. Languages (including linguistics).... NEVER been asked anything along those lines. (maybe I'm lucky?)

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