It’s seen as rude here in Australia too. It’s not rude because of ego. It’s rude because of status. If you know someone’s job, you can make a good guess of how

It’s seen as rude here in Australia too. It’s not rude because of ego. It’s rude because of status. If you know someone’s job, you can make a good guess of how much money they make. If that’s the first question you ask someone when you meet them, the assumption is you might only be interested in talking to someone if they’re sufficiently rich or something. So here it’s polite to leave that question alone until you know them well enough. Obviously we put all of that aside at conferences and work events. But if you meet people outside of work, it’s uncomfortable to immediately ask about your job.