I am a high school student, and when my middle school friends come over, they often ask me, "What is your dream?" after talking about this and that.
As the conversation about dreams continues, it naturally flows to what my hobbies are and how much I have thought about the future.
When I talk like that, Chinese friends naturally talk about what their parents do for a living and what I dream of doing.
Or they might say something like, "My parents want me to be a doctor, but I don't know what I want to do," and the conversation naturally flows into the topic of their parents' work.
However, many Korean friends don't even know what their parents do for a living, let alone what company they work for, even after becoming high school students. I found this point very interesting. How can you not be interested in or curious about your parents' jobs at all??? Is it a secret???
Yesterday, I saw an interesting article on social media.
It said that asking a husband's company and what he does for a living is burdensome and awkward to ask on first meeting. This sparked a debate between Ju Jae-won's wife and Korean Chinese residents.
I am one of those people who are curious about what kind of work someone does when I meet them.
Asking someone about their "job" is more than just curiosity for me; it's a way to understand and empathize with their life, values, and choices. Of course, not everyone feels comfortable talking about their work, but... I still enjoy learning about different life paths and experiences through these conversations and building human connections.
Do other people feel uncomfortable when asked about their job at first meeting?
