Yeah, when I was at univ (1975-78) if you got invited to a party, telling a girl you were an "engineer" was an instant turnoff. The trendy thing to say was "unemployed"
Of course this was (and is) the right approach for dumb women, but intelligent women were (and are) rarely to be found hanging out in the obvious places
Re the first post, I wouldn't bother justifying your flying. It is a massive uphill task. In most social contexts, it is best to not mention it. Obviously, intelligent / professional company is OK because they will understand.
Business travel brings new issues and again it is best to not reveal how you got there and, if you have to, say you have a PPL and rent it for the day, or you are in a syndicate (which gives a doubly good impression of being thrifty). It is only if you routinely deal with billionaries that you can freely fly in a nice plane to meet them. This of course has a direct impact on the utility value of GA.