Does it annoy you when people ask "what do you do?"Does the topic assume most of us do not have "regular"/mainstream type jobs?
When you meet enough people in your life, you get used to it. Some people are nosy and you learn to brush them off with witty replies. I don't get annoyed because I take pride in what I do, even if it earns next to nothing. I believe it's more to do with self-esteem than the question itself. Most of the time, the question is just an ice-breaker.
My feelings are the same, you get used to it.
In the DC area, you definitely get used to it, since it's as common a greeting as "hello." It's easy to segue into more interesting topics.
Still, I'm glad I left the area. Lots of boring people.