Asking questions is a very normal way for people to communicate. We learn new information, gain knowledge, and even get to know each other better when we ask relevant questions. Get-to-know questions are probably the most popular ones, because as humans, we tend to be rather curious about others around us. These questions may vary from personal tastes to some family and background questions and even questions about your job and career.
And while things that are profession-related might seem like good questions to ask if you want to strike up a conversation with a new acquaintance, this is not entirely true. Having little to no information about a certain profession is nothing criminal, but sometimes this leads to stereotypes and really ignorant questions or comments.
Whatever career path you have chosen in your life, you have most certainly at one point heard really weird things from people that made you wonder how they ever thought those were appropriate questions to ask. At other times, instead of asking a question, someone might ask for a professional favor that, in reality, has nothing to do with your occupation.
If you want to avoid stupid questions to ask people regarding their jobs, don’t operate on assumptions or repeat things from an unverified source. The best questions are probably the ones where you ask the other person to give you some additional information about what they do before you proceed with more specific inquiries.
Has anyone ever asked you stupid questions about your profession? How do you deal with such questions and weird requests for services? Share your experience in the comments.
#21
"I'm an airport baggage handler."
How much is a ticket from Walla Walla to Dubai?'"
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16points
#22
"Oh, you’re a therapist?" [Tells me about their family member who really needs to see a therapist].
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15points
#23
"I worked as a general admin in a small IT department. I found out my mother-in-law was telling people that I could build a website for them."
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15points
#26
"Oh, you're a photographer, can you take pictures for my wedding/birthday/Christmas?"
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15points
#29
"Oh, you're a psychologist, can you chat with my kid and see if he is depressed."
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14points
#30
"Oh, you're a welder. What do you actually do?"
"I hate explaining that medications and food and drink don't just make themselves. I make the machines that make them."
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14points
#31
"Oh, you work at a library? I read a book with a blue cover about 20 years ago, do you know what the title is and who the author was?"
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14points
#37
"Oh, you're a chemical analyst? You must know how to make drugs."
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13points
#38
"Oh, you're a food scientist? Can you make me a non-nutritive cereal varnish?"
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13points
#39
"Oh, you work in construction? [Proceeds to ask about fixing things around the house, asking if something was installed wrong because it doesn't look right, or wants a price quote for various projects]."
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12points
