Personally I would rather answer those questions about what I do for a living with statements like...
"Looking for a job now... and that is proving harder than I thought with that felony conviction". That usually limits further chatter. But if they ask, then you can begin to tell them about the murder conviction... It is good for grins to watch the painful facial expressions. But be sure to tell them that it was only a minute of rage that you temporarily lost control. That will make them feel better... NOT.
You can tell that I don't rely on folks asking me what I do for a living, to convert that into spendable income... maybe I need to work on my responses a little.
Well asking questions to answer questions keeps the conversation going and by the end of the conversation its what bank account do you want your premium drawn out of.