Your Life is Just Like Mine

I wouldn't say playing music is unlike anything else in the world, but it's certainly not comparable to just any job. Auditions aren't like normal interviews and practices aren't like regular days at the office.
It's recently come to my attention how frustrating and annoying it can be when people actually try to compare their life to mine by listing what they do at their jobs.

I have to pay to go to auditions and to go to school. There's 1 spot open and many many applicants. Half the time you know you're not going to come close to making it-it's just good experience for your career. Is this like when you go online and apply to a job? No.

Auditions aren't a 'well i guess i'll just see how it goes' situation either. You've spent practically your entire life perfecting your skills for this 1 thing-to land a playing gig. You can't be super relaxed, uncaring, and just make it a really fun experience-a lot of money from lessons, college, honors bands, traveling, tools, instruments, music, everything-goes into it.

So why can't somebody just ask me about what i do? Maybe they'd learn something by finding out what exactly it is i do and what exactly it's like to be a musician (not that i even know!) instead of trying to teach me how to be good at making money and my career by comparing it with something they do.