The things people come up with...
Sometimes I wish I had a more ordinary job. You know, something like being a doctor or an accountant or a computer programmer. You say, "I'm a doctor," and that's more or less the end of that line of conversation. But just try to say, "I'm a journalist," and see what happens!
Top ten questions I'm asked when people find out what I do for a living:
(in order of frequency, from 1 being the most frequent & 10 the least frequent)
1. So, you go out and interview people?
2. Do you have to travel a lot?
3. Can you do a write-up on ______________ (insert pet project) for me?
4. Will I be able to see your name in the paper, with your article?
5. How many months' bonus do you guys get? (My company has a reputation for giving generous bonuses)
6. Any job vacancies in your company at the moment? (follow-up question!)
7. How do you get to know about those people you interview?
8. Do you have to come up with your own ideas for articles?
9. Which famous people/celebrities have you met?
10. What's the inside story on ____________ (insert hottest current issue)?
I was once on ICQ when this guy I didn't know messaged me out of the blue. He asked me about my job and I didn't want to reveal too much about myself (in case he turned out to be a stalker or something — a girl can never be too careful, you know), so I said I'm a writer. The conversation deteriorated from there...
Him: What do you write?
Me: I write about people.
Him: I don't understand.
Me: I interview people and then I write about them.
Him: Oh, like human resource?
Me: *rolls eyes and slaps forehead*
With men like him around, no wonder I'm still single!!