My co-workers are fascinated by my having snakes. They ask me about them all the time. I've had three of them bring their kids to our house to "play" with the snakes. It's a great educational tool. I'm pretty strict on handling rules, handwashing before and after, and the babies don't come out. We have a few ambassador snakes (1 corn, 1 king, a hognose and a rosy boa) that are very mellow and anyone can hold them.
I find that when I tell people I have snakes I get one of two responses....
Interested and excited, "Really? What kind?"
OR
Recoiling, shuddering, "Why would you want snakes?"
My baffled answer to #2, "Who wouldn't want snakes? They're the perfect pet."
And my favourite Q&A:
Q: "Are they venomous?"
A: "Only idiots and experts keep venomous snakes, and I'm not either one."