Whenever I tell someone what I do for a living it goes something like this:

"I'm a photographer..."
"Really?? That's so amazing! Your job must be so fun! I would love to take pictures all day!"

Understandable reaction. It does sound fun, doesn't it? The truth is, I don't take pictures all day. I do a lot of other things that have nothing to do with photography, like book keeping, sales, marketing, paying taxes, paperwork, "janitorial duties" at my studio, hauling heavy gear, a ton of admin... the list goes on. I only actually "take pictures" for a small percentage of the time and when I do, it's making photographs - which is a little bit more complicated. There's lighting and technical control that comes into play. There's propping, styling, directing your subject. It's more than just pressing the shutter for fun. It certainly can be fun, but it is definitely still work.