Ugh. I hate that question. It presumes that my occupation is my sole function in life. Curiously, I’ve noticed that people respond to this question differently, within the context of their j-o-b.
Some folks identify with their job function above all else. ‘I’m in sales’ or ‘I’m in marketing’ is their response. Their contribution to their company is how they view themselves within an organization. Presumably, this answer is given by anyone who has worked for a number of years within their field for several different employers.
Others prefer to state that they belong to the organization itself. These people answer with ‘I work at Yahoo!’ or ‘I work at IN-N-OUT.’ When the company name is their trump card, there is often a sense of pride in working there (ask any Yahoo!), or that particular organization is known by most consumers.
Then there are the rare pedigree members of the work force that have studied a vocation they now practice. For the rest of us bourgeois, this includes anyone who tells you ‘I am a lawyer’ or ‘I am a photographer’ or even ‘I am a plumber’ – their trade was a learned one. These types of occupations are the noun form of the job verb they practice. Does that make sense?
Finally there those of us (including me) that strongly identify with the industry we are a part of. ‘I am in the tech industry’ or ‘I work in the web 2.0 space’ is what I often find myself saying when asked that eye rolling question. This is obviously the most umbrella answer – as I could be the CEO of a company or answer the phone at the front desk. It merely connotates being in the ‘biz.
I wonder if my answer will start to evolve as my career goes on its natural path. Now that it’s something I’ve noticed, I’ll definitely be keeping an ear out.
