The discussion usually starts with "I wish you'd have gotten good money and done..." and ends in whatever career is better in her mind that day. It's usually a trade.

Stopped paying real attention years ago, but it's usually a story where she knows a person who makes however many dollars a year and I could have too. I don't think this discussion would have been any different if I was in one of those jobs.

That person usually works 60-80 hours a week. She leaves out the times when it isn't a great year in that area and they were laid off for 8 months. She misses the toll on your body working like that takes. She doesn't realize the cost of the trucks and the tools, if you need them.

I guess it is easier when you simplify down to $X a year for your best year.

I've found that in some cases it comes from not being able to understand what you do here as Office Space would say.

If you were a plumber, she'd have an easy answer when talking to her friends about what doubled112 does. Plumber is a job everyone understands at a basic level; most of the trades are because you can point to a finished product. "He builds things like that."

Sometimes an analogy can help; I've definitely told people I'm an internet plumber and that seems to satisfy their curiosity.