When I was in college, conversation tended to flow pretty smoothly from asking people about their majors and what sort of job they hoped to get after college.

(maybe the other party was bored by these conversations, idk, but they seemed to happen pretty smoothly)

One of the things I noticed as I got older, is that for any number of reasons, lots of people wind up spending 40 hours a week doing something other than what they hoped and dreamed they would be doing.

And they tend to not enjoy talking that much about it when they're off the clock.

People will tell you about what they do, but lots of people aren't interested in answering follow up questions, or making conversation about their job flow very smoothly; often the conversation gets stilted pretty quickly.

Yes. It depends on delivery, but it can come across very snobby when class differences may be involved. I've noticed when talking to 'upper class' people they often lead with asking about occupation, as if they're trying to guess how much money I make, or trying to figure out if I'm 'worth knowing' in their estimation. Reading too much into it? Maybe, but I'm sure some other people feel the same way if I do.

I make a point to never ask, unless it's a work scenario (conference/meetup). Besides, there's usually something more interesting to talk about.

like most social things, it depends heavily on context. if you're a software dev and you start talking shop with another dev, it's probably a safe topic of conversation, unless the person really doesn't want to talk about work after hours.

unfortunately there is a lot of baggage wrapped up in one's occupation (social status, money, etc.). if, as a software dev, you start asking someone who works at a pizza place all kinds of questions about their work, it could be a very different dynamic.

btw, i used to work in a pizza place and i had devised all kinds of strategies to optimize every aspect of my job. i loved when people would give me the opportunity to talk about it, but i know a lot of my coworkers were very unsatisfied with their job and place in the world, and would not be happy to be asked about it by someone who obviously made a lot more money.

Honestly, as a pretty private person, it’s nobody’s business what I do for a living. If they ask I just say “exotic dancer.” I get a laugh to break ice, and we can move on to a different topic cleanly.