It is not uncommon for older family members to not really understand what their younger relatives do for work. In particular, the corporate world is always evolving with new roles and complicated-sounding job titles that do not really mean much to anyone outside of that line of work.

Still, it can get annoying to be asked what exactly it is you do for the millionth time when you have explained your work in as much detail as is possible before everybody’s eyes start to glaze over. It would be nice if people could just accept that being paid a salary means that somebody, somewhere, probably considers your job useful, and leave it at that.

Unfortunately, there are certain kinds of family members who take it upon themselves to try to steer younger professionals in a direction of their choosing. If they cannot fully understand their job, they believe that it is not something that is worth doing. It has always been the case that older relatives have disapproved of the newer paths that the next generation walks down, but there is a big difference between going on an ill-informed rant at a family dinner and taking direct action against somebody’s career.