Quote of the Day: Evelyn Waugh

"Humility is not a virtue propitious to the artist. It is often pride, emulation, avarice, malice--all the odious qualities--which drive a man to complete, elaborate, refine, destroy, renew, his work until he has made something that gratifies his pride and envy and greed. And in doing so he enriches the world more than the generous and good, though he may lose his own soul in the process. That is the paradox of artistic achievement."


I swear I have a real job, even a job I am a little proud of at times, but no one seems to believe me and it is kind of starting to bother me. I work in Enterprise Software Sales which is an actual career. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_software)

I spend my day talking to or trying to talk to Senior Vice Presidents, CFO's and CEO's of Fortune 1000 companies. My job is to explain very complex solutions in simple yet compelling enough terms to get them to start talking about the possibility of giving my company millions of dollars. And I am quite good at it. I mean really good. (I hate to brag but I must.)

I swear it is a real career with a real career path just as much as an accountant or lawyer is; but for some reason, as soon as people hear software sales they either assume that I wear a blue polo shirt and hassle people with my incompetence as they shop for small electronics or that I am a telemarketer who spends his day begging for the Glengarry Leads. None of these scenarios are true but I don't really blame people for thinking I have forfeited the corporate rat race because I was only a creative writing major after all.

I just need to figure out how to convince people I have a real job without being so low-class as to whip out my pay-stub. I don't want people to know how much I make because my identity is not completely tied up in my job (in my heart I am still the greatest unpublished novelist who ever lived). I would just like a little respect especially now that I am in a new ward/congregation thanks to our new house.

Any thoughts or advice out there beyond prettying it up a bit and saying "Business Development" instead of sales?