Are you honest about what your job is?

Question

When you tell people what your job is, are you honest about what it is and what you do? Do you accurately tell people what your role is? Do you ever over-sell or under-sell it?

Inspired in part by this meme...

Chazmatazz269 · Accepted Answer

Depends on who’s asking, when, where and why.
As an electrician, i have never told someone what i do and before the conversation ends, they’re not asking me to do work for them. To avoid this interaction i sometimes evade the question entirely, or maybe i’ll be very vague about my “construction” experience. That can result in people wanting free or cheap labor too though. I can fairly expect to be fully forthcoming with other people in the trades. They share my plight and we don’t go around asking each other for free labor.
If you get wind that i’m an electrician and you ask to enlist my expertise, i will flat out tell you that you can’t afford me. I make $80/hour on the job and i’m constantly offered overtime. Most people aren’t willing to pay me $120-$160/hour to figure out why their toaster oven keeps tripping breakers. Which is fine cuz i don’t want to do it either. It’s actually flat out disrespectful what most people think a good electrician is worth and i won’t waste a second of my life arguing with them about it. Either you can pay, or you can crack open the yellow pages. Pro tip: You’re going to pay either way. You can pay for good work up front, or you can pay for cheap work up front and then pay someone else to come back and fix it later. Every penny you pinch up front turns into a nickel on the back end, and that’s not counting however much time and trouble you experience because of outages or worse, electrocutions and fires.
Some people only learn the hard way.

Just_Ken · Accepted Answer

People know I'm lying about being a Navy Seal when they find out i don't have a book written

rachel776 · Accepted Answer

i have an agent so that's all anyone ever needed to know when hiring me, i have never had to do any of that resume or interview stuff. if i had gone for a permanent orchestra seat then i would have had to audition, which is a grueling 2-day process, but if you have the chops, they don't care if you're a serial killer, you're in

when i can find 10 minutes i will eventually be writing a My Take about this, but i got my last job because a music director wanted to fire a violinist but didn't know how because no one was available at the time, and the other musicians in the session i was in told him i could do it and he said ok and that was it. it put me at least 10 years ahead of where i would have been if i had even been going for a job like that

i got my current job last summer at Lollapalooza when i was backstage and someone asked me based on something they had heard about me, that was late on a Friday night and it was then a lo-o-o-o-ong and restive weekend of agents and lawyers negotiating to get me out of my existing job and into the new one without burning any bridges, and it worked out at the very last minute and it's been incredibly great since then (though scary as hell and things move 10 times faster than before and i'm about to go on my first tour with them so we will see...)

elizamichale1 · Accepted Answer

Eventhough not everyone sees it as a good job n many look down on me... i still never hide what I do n who I m coz my work is my passion n I love my job...

I always see people complaining about their jobs... i dont I love it... the only thing not so gud about my job is not being paid enough coz its really difficult n hard work... people think its very easy... no its not

OneViewpoint · Answer

I'm as honest as I can be about my past work history. Which is not very honest. So I just avoid it or sidestep the questions for the most part. Current work? I'm an open book. There's nothing sexy or particularly worthy of hiding. It's interesting to me but maybe boring to a lot of people.

Anonymous · Answer

I'm a plumber. My friends jokingly call me the shit man. I remind them that I have one of the most important jobs that if one day their toilets clogged up and had no way of being fixed they'd have to shit in their backyards or in the corner of their rooms if they live in an apartment with no backyard.

Simslover92 · Answer

I think it would be weird to lie about being a librarian considering it's not a job that many people would take up despite it being very respectable and valuable to society.

thegreenyogi · Answer

Of course. Problem is people never beleive me because I am so open about it but I'm told I don't look like someone who works on a farm and with animals.

queenofcardio · Answer

Sometimes I give vague answers depending on whose asking.

EmmaMary · Answer

Absolutely... Although I do fully realise and understand that being a police forensic scientist is perhaps just a little bit out of the norm.

Jersey2 · Answer

Yes. A lot of times people don’t understand my jobs so I make it something simple that is true but allows me to gloss over it. I have had some cool jobs.

Theoretical_Apulu · Answer

Yeah I'm unemployed sitting at my home, don't think there's much to add.

NathanDavis · Answer

honest, yes... always but I don't really tell people all about my business... lol

FunkyMonkee · Answer

No. I only TELL everyone I'm a bear taster for Bear Whiz Beer. I'm actually a cock teaser for Rooster-Rama!

Agape93 · Answer

Yeap. No reason to lie, it ain't glamorous, just pays the bills. HR manager.

exitseven · Answer

I am a network administrator/IT Manager/college Professor. Take your pick.

AngryCarl3 · Answer

I just say I'm retired. I'm old, so my story checks out.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Sure, no problem. I con and I insult.

Anonymous · Answer

nurse, soon to be cop

Ariesman81Nshiiit · Answer

I am a babysitter and a fireman. IYKYK

Anonymous · Answer

Sure, currently unemployed :P

luvstoned4him · Answer

Yes...

DishLady · Answer

Yes.

worldscolide · Answer

Depends on who asks.

Paige2006 · Answer

Yes I am

Iron_Man · Answer

Yes I am

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