Should your job define you?

When I was an engineer I always used to cringe at the first question everyone asked me when they met me: "So what do you do?" It was like my entire existence was defined by what I do from 9-5. I knew people at our company that had impressive jobs but were horrible human beings. I also knew people who worked in the factory that were some of the most kind and interesting people I've ever met. It used to drive me nuts. It's as if a humans worth is somehow defined by societies impression of their career choice.

Even I - someone who works a lot of hours and loves what he does - hopes that people don't define me by my business acumen. I think it's a petty reduction of my passions and interests, and largely ignores my relationships with friends and family, and my core beliefs and values...the sum of which define me. I would hope that anyone who truly wanted to know me would look beyond my passion for business to see the entire person.

Is it like this everywhere? Is there a "career competition" going on where it's participants are so short sighted that they define the human lives of those around them by what they do to put food on the table? Could this unhealthy career obsession be why Europeans are so much happier than Americans? I know one thing for sure: from now on, whenever I meet someone new, the LAST thing I'm going to ask about is what they do for a living.