Questions for people about their work and lives

Career day, a school project, a guest speaker, or the person next to you on a plane who turns out to be a marine biologist. These sets are for asking people about lives unlike your own: scientists, soldiers, judges, farmers, politicians, immigrants, entrepreneurs.

161 sets · 6,591 questions · each with a note on why

A few to start with

Which continuing education was worth the money, and which was not?
You are trying to distinguish training that changed their practice from hours collected to satisfy a requirement. Ask what they do differently on a Monday morning because of it. If nothing, that is a straight answer about how the continuing education market actually works.
From: Questions to Ask a Psychologist About Their Career
What is it like when a patient does not make it?
Ask it plainly and leave silence afterwards. Let them decide how much to say; the useful part is usually about what they do for the family in the room, not clinical detail.
From: Questions to Ask a Paramedic
What would you tell someone in their first management job to stop doing?
Asking what to stop is harder to answer than asking what to start, and more useful. A vague answer suggests the panelist no longer remembers what the first year felt like.
From: Questions to Ask a Panel of Leaders
How much of the job is emergencies, and how much is paperwork and routine calls?
Officers who have been out a few years tend to volunteer that reports, court, and non-criminal calls eat most of the shift. If someone tells you it is mostly pursuits and arrests, they are either very new or selling the job.
From: Questions to Ask a Police Officer as a Student
What technology do you use that would surprise a visitor?
The range runs from a weather app and a spreadsheet to satellite steering, soil sensors or a robot that milks the cows. Ask what it replaced and whether it has paid for itself. Someone who tried a tool and went back to the old way is worth a second question.
From: Questions to Ask Farmers
Which panelist here has the job you would swap into?
Asking panelists to compare themselves to each other breaks the polite parallel play of a panel and produces real conversation. It also tells the audience which roles are considered better on the inside, which is rarely the one with the grandest title.
From: Questions to Ask Career Panelists

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