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I don't want to talk about work with my friends, mine or theirs. Am I being rude? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 years ago by onlooker@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I hate talking about work. I also listening about work. I don't exactly enjoy my job, so I try not to waste my free time thinking about work, talking about work or, heaven forbid, doing something for work. However, my friends talk about their jobs all the time and it's painful to listen to.

I told them as much, but the topic keeps popping up. I'm just not that invested in the specifics and minutia of their workday. I either lack the knowledge to understand their work process or, more often than not, just don't care. That is, unless something bad happened and they want to vent, I'm okay with that. But I still get looks, as if I should be interested about their job. Which, I'm sorry, I'm just not.

Am I being unreasonable in trying to steer the conversation into a topic that isn't work-related?

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[–] serenity@jeremmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Am I being unreasonable in trying to steer the conversation into a topic that isn’t work-related?

Not at all. But when trying to look at it from their perspectives, their behaviour makes a bit of sense because for people who work full-time, 9 to 5, for 5 days a week, that makes up a lot of their time. But when people are passionate about their hobbies, like open source software or bird spotting, I would expect them to want to talk about that in their spare time.

[–] coldhotman@nrsk.no 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

their behaviour makes a bit of sense because for people who work full-time, 9 to 5, for 5 days a week, that makes up a lot of their time.

I sleep more than that. It's still not reasonable if I want to discuss my sleep over and over. And sleep is more important to me than work has ever been.

[–] serenity@jeremmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

haha, ROTFL :)

[–] onlooker@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

I would, too. Especially since the people mentioned do, in fact, have hobbies that have nothing to do with their job, which are also far more interesting. But thanks for putting my mind at ease. This topic has come up so often that it now takes real effort not to be mentally checked out of the conversation. I now refuse to engage in this topic, not because I want to be a jerk, but to preserve my sanity.