So. What do you do?

[CosmicNeurotica]

I got asked this question again today. It seems I can't avoid it. People want to get to know me. "So. What do you do?"
I always freeze up. "Uhhh.. nothin really."
And then. "Well what have you done?" So I make up some story about I work for a rock band 3 webmaster doing stuff for the site.
It's that damn question. It makes me want to kill myself.
How do you guys deal with the "what do you do?"

 

[vj288]

"What do you do?"
"Stuff"
"What kind of stuff?"
"You know, stuff-stuff"
"Like what?"
Uhhhh, It's a lot of different stuff"
*Gives me evil eye* "ok..."

You could insert "What do you like/are your hobbies/interests" if you want. Oh and probably throw in some "I don't know" 's and it would sum mt experience with the question pretty well.

 

[EscapeArtist]

Do, as in job? Or do as in, in general all day?

Say that you study. Study study study, people will begin to think you're one smart dude, studying all that time, alone in your house. It was my excuse in school, and now, It's my excuse without school. And I do study, even without school... Just.. not near that often.

 

[CosmicNeurotica]

"What do you do?"
"Stuff"
"What kind of stuff?"
"You know, stuff-stuff"
"Like what?"
Uhhhh, It's a lot of different stuff"
*Gives me evil eye* "ok..."

Ha, I like this. I'm gonna use this.
Thanks

 

[CosmicNeurotica]

I don't know about the study thing. That would just lead to some dirty jokes.

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

"What do you do?"
"Stuff"
"What kind of stuff?"
"You know, stuff-stuff"
"Like what?"

...pause...

"I kill people."

"Whu-uh?"

"That's what I do. I kill people. I'm a professional assassin."

"Yeah right...."

"Well you did ask. I was in the military - special ops - for several years. As a result, I made a few contacts here and there. You know, people who need 'stuff' done. Anyway, when my time in the service was up I realised I wasn't really qualified to do anything else, so I decided to go freelance. I made it known that my services were now for hire, and the work started flooding in."

"Um...does it...uh, pay well?"

"Very. Plenty of foreign travel too. Anyway, enough about me. What do you do? Something in sales, isn't it...?"

 

[Feathers]

^LOL

ToolShuggah, you can say 'allsorts' and then 'computer stuff'/work from home - works for 75% of people, for others that ask, briefly say what you do (you could add 'writing' or 'international communications'? That's what you do on the forum anyway!! or any other stuff you really do?? even if it's on a smaller scale or not really a big moneymaker right now yet.. and you can set up a website for a band for real, if you haven't yet )
Then you could barge into hobbies and interests or upcoming projects, or more interesting things, or ask them what they do and start quizzing them about it, etc?

About studying, yeah.. we all study and learn here, from each other.. it's informal but it's still learning.. I learnt more here about some things than from a bunch of psychology books and such!!

 

[BlueDays]

Yes, I dread this question so much, that it produces the "flight or fight" response in my body.::
I just love the looks you get on people's faces when you say your "looking for work". It's like you have just told them you have leprosy!

 

[Interzone]

Same here, I just don't do much myself actually. SO, what am I to tell them? So I usually say something like this. Then they probably think I'm some computer obsessed loser.

"What do you do?"

"Uh, nothing much really"

"Oh well, like what?"

"Uh, well, uh, I spend a lot of time on the computer, that's about it."

"Oh, ok..."

 

[coyote]

Them: "What do you do?"

You: "I'm studying abroad"

Them: "Really? Where?"

You: "That redhead standing right over there...."

 

[peps1]

I hated that question sooooooooooooo much when I was doing "nothing" for the first year of being practically house bound with agoraphobia, made me feel so worthless and embarrassed.

so, after a lot of thinking & stressing.......I started a business working from home.

Now when people ask, I can tell then the truth!

 

[S_Spartan]

try being middle-aged and having to answer that question. By this time you are supposed to be married[a few times], own a nice house, have a wonderful career, money in the bank, a brood of kids. You know, a busy, "crazy" life. I, however, live the complete opposite life. So when people ask me that question I just make up something that is kind of half-true. I guess none of us should be stressing over this question because what we do or don't do is none of their business!

 

[Forgotten-Children]

I think I would just tell them I draw (doesn't really mean a job even though I have sold two pieces of artwork to a friend for like... 15 bucks)

I mean really the only thing I can consider a job that I've had that I actually earned money for other than that was a weeding job which only one customer called me back for me to weed for them on a weekly basis.; I got $12 for the day of the week I worked. (she told one of her friends about me and I weeded for her once and got 10 bucks for it. Then there was this random woman who asked me to weed for her one day but she never called me back after that; she gave me $20 because I worked in the hot sun that day near the highway)

That money can only last me so long though. :/ I need an actual paycheck for me to put a large dent in my debt. *sigh*

 

[sanitariumcalls]

Them: "What do you do?"

You: "I'm studying abroad"

Them: "Really? Where?"

You: "That redhead standing right over there...."

ROTFLMAO... Not much makes me laugh so hard I snort these days, but that did it.

I tell people the truth.

"What do you do."
"Oh, I'm in the process of getting myself $25,000 in debt, shortening my life span with every drag of money-sucking cigarettes, and preparing my heart for hypertension by 30. All just so I can have this piece of paper with my name on it in a frame on my office wall, a grand ticket to the rest of my life off of food stamps and SSDI."

 

[Gerdje]

 

[BlackPuma]

^ Fan-tastic.

 

[Dronee]

You can always say you work online. And when pressed further, say it's a niche area... and if pressed again, repeat... It's not a good thing to lie generally... but still. In my case though, it's true lol.

Or you can always be truthful... say you're studying art or whatever on your own.

 

[Dronee]

ROTFLMAO... Not much makes me laugh so hard I snort these days, but that did it.

I tell people the truth.

"What do you do."
"Oh, I'm in the process of getting myself $25,000 in debt, shortening my life span with every drag of money-sucking cigarettes, and preparing my heart for hypertension by 30. All just so I can have this piece of paper with my name on it in a frame on my office wall, a grand ticket to the rest of my life off of food stamps and SSDI."

hmm... why 25k though? Sorry if it's a personal question. I was almost in debt (saved by just working and hanging on).. and a few of my friends ARE in great debts.

 

[hippiechild]

Is there a book that you're reading? If so, mention that and tell them a bit about it, maybe even give a recommendation. You can also mention things that you hope to do, as 'I'm working on getting towards my goal of X" and then whatever that entails.

Just whatever it is that you do, mention it.. it doesn't have to be super cool, just something that you can talk about cheerily; if you sound proud and enthusiastic about it, they'll be more inclined to find it interesting than if it were something super amazing but you didn't seem to care at all about.

for me..
"a bit of this and that"
"odds 'n ends"
or just tell them something that I had fun doing in the last day or so..hiking, drawing, reading..

 

[UnOccupied]

Say you have been spending a lot of time with your family lately, but you are looking to try some new things to get away from them. Then, just simply ask them what it is they do with their free time.