WHAT DO YOU DO?

Small talk, for some time, was frustrating for me.

After the introductions, you ask and get asked about work. And when I answered, I’d see a big question mark written on the person’s face. It almost never fails.

Most are polite and follow up with, “What’s that?” I respond. Then it unravels: furrowed brow, slow nod, and a smile. “Wow. That sounds so…complicated.” Slowly, the conversation is directed towards what school you’re from and if you know *insert some person of the same major/university*. Diversionary tactics at its best.

Things got so bad that I practiced talking about my job without sounding alien. I tested it on family and friends until, finally, glazed looks decreased significantly and my mom was able to tell her friends about my job by saying more than just “Something with a lot of numbers.” Took me a good part of a year.

If you’ve got a job that’s difficult to tell people about, you know what I mean.

But I’m guilty of that, too. The blank stare and the scrounging around for the proper response to a job that I didn’t know existed.

When we were younger, things were easier. Lawyer, doctor, fireman, painter, spy. Jobs had one word. Two if it’s a compound word. Then you get older and realize that one-to-two-word jobs are bogus. You’re not just a lawyer, you’re an intellectual property rights attorney. Doctor? Neurosurgeon, cardio****. Politician: clean, semi-corrupt, full-on thief.

Don’t get me started on bankers and finance people. Their species is so diverse and convoluted. Their auditors have auditors who also have auditors – Inception-style. I know a few with 5 words in their job title and it did not explain what they did at all. (By the way, I’m from this field. I like poking fun at us. Don’t get offended. We’re fun, unlike what people think.)

Sometimes I wish that all professions would have TV shows or movies just so I know they’re real. But I doubt it’s workable. There is a sitcom made specifically about accountants: one episode was about books not balancing. Conclusion: That’s one show too many.

After years of being employed, I am resigned to the reality that work these days is very complex. The number of degrees kids can choose from attests to that. I remember my 16-year old self trying to choose a college major. I ended up choosing the ones that I thought would make me rich the quickest. Some friends chose the ones that used the most letters when spelled. But whichever technique you used, it shows that there are a lot of options out there. And degrees are rarely perfectly tailor-made to satisfy the very high demands of the job market today. Anything goes (Fresh grads and incoming college kids, no need to despair. There is hope!).

And so, nowadays, I implement a rule for myself: be intrigued by people’s work. If I don’t get it, keep asking till I get it somehow. More often than not, they’re doing something to keep this world going.

Mental note to future children: make it easy for mama. Pick a career people get so I can brag about you and your work without having to explain so much.