Luckily, sometimes it's not even asked. But I know it can be.

Did you once have a career in the past? I've found ways to avoid mentioning it in the present tense, but make it seem as if it could be. For example, " My primary career background has been in sales and marketing management for a major language instruction company". From there I can easily go on and on about things I did in my last jobs. Or, I can quickly shift to other interests that are indeed present.