I don’t always tell people I meet what I do for a living. Often, I just give the name of the company where I work if they ask. Usually they don’t go on to ask what it is I actually do there. They probably just think I work in one of the offices or something.
This eliminates the risk of having to answer a bunch of questions such as why did you pick this job?
Of course, if someone is genuinely interested, I will elaborate. I am not always comfortable talking about myself a lot. Something to do with my natural shyness, I guess.
Sometimes, I am put on the spot by having one of my friends introduce me by proudly saying “meet my friend Steve, she is a ……. (welder, pipefitter, millwright, mechanic, logger…they often don’t get the words right). When I’m introduced this way to a woman, I might get a polite smile and a nervous “hi”. They quite often don’t know what to think or how to respond, or know what exactly the job description even means. Which means I then have to try to make a connection so we can have a real conversation. Most men, however, will turn their attention to me and say something like “I don’t believe you”. They will usually ask to see my hands. My hands are not as calloused and dirty as one would expect from a job like mine. I wear gloves often, and when I’m welding I get no grease on them at all. Sometimes I do get them quite dirty, but usually I wear nitrile gloves for oily and greasy jobs. Upon seeing my “soft, clean” hands, the men then inform me that I’m not what my friend has told them I am.
Now, how should I respond to that?
I find myself wanting to say something rude.
Not inclined to make a fuss in front of my friend, though, I usually mumble some excuse for not having worse hands than I do.
How stupid is that?
I have been thinking of responses that would get me out of this without seeming too rude. Something like, “I don’t really care what you think” is what usually comes to mind. Or else, “are you calling my friend a liar?” However, these don’t fill the criteria for not being rude. Mind you, they’re rather more polite than what first comes to mind.
I will just keep my hands in my pockets from now on.
I realy like this blog. I think the best thing you could do when one of your friends introduces you this way is to exclaim loudly "I am not!" and then you could go on to say something like "just look at my soft hands". I would never show my hands on command. "Let's see yours first buddy!" I have actualy had someone doubt that I am in construction because, and I quote "you are not muscular enough". This comment made me roar with laughter and put me in a good mood. Roaring with laughter is always a good response. Clumsy people end up with stitches and bruises and calouses. Smart people can get the job done and protect themselves too. I should say here that on every crew I have worked I was one of the two biggest guys. Oh and Meghan worked on my crew for awhile and she is a full inch taller than me. So keep working smart my dear, I busted my heel working stupid for less than ten minutes!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive feedback. Roaring with laughter sounds like a good response to me. They'll either appreciate your sense of humour, or else think you're crazy. Either works for me.
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