Notice how our occupations are often used as sole identifier of a person? One of the first questions posed when meeting someone new is, "So what do you do?" Does it matter, really -- as a person -- what you do for a living?

Professions have stereotypes that seem to make it easier for us to pigeonhole this new person into something familiar. By knowing what they do during their 40-hour weekly sentences, we figure we get a decent overall picture from which to advance.

"Oh, an engineer? You must be smart." (In the Bay Area, it's usually, "Another one, huh.") Really. I say we just think a certain way that others don't. Why the assumptions?

Accountants can do math. (In fact, most accountants I know are more apt to reaching for the calculators, while engineers tend to try it in their heads first. It doesn't mean engineers are smarter -- just that we are trained to approach things differently.)

Salespeople are talkative or sleazy, and tend not to get much respect as doing "real work" -- they're money driven with dollar signs in their eyes.

I'm sure there are more -- feedback with some -- but you know what I mean.