And what do you do for a living?

At a drinks party on Saturday I asked a guest what he did for a living.

He told me he was a solicitor and went on to say that very often people would hear that reply and go on to ask for advice.

A computer engineer who came to the house today confirmed that whenever he admitted his job to strangers, they frequently asked what they should do about a problem with their PC.

I suspect this is a common practice and I don't need to guess what happens when someone admits to being a Doctor.

When I worked in advertsing and admitted as such, people always had the same question for me. Not can you advise me but "Tell me something you have written." When I told them, they used to shake their heads.

It made me very cross. Because it confirmed in my mind that despite my wish to become a world famous copywriter producing memorable campaigns...I never quite made it.