[Discuss] What is my work title?

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Jerry Natowitz wrote:
> What I do, and have been doing for two companies since 2000, is to
> manage the computer systems and operating systems that are
> incorporated into large manufactured systems.
> 
> my job title...Senior Applications Engineer.

Your job description sounds more like a Systems Engineer[1] than
Applications Engineer.

1. http://www.sie.arizona.edu/sysengr/whatis/whatis.html

As others have said, if you have the ability to specify a title (within
reason), and you are soon to transition jobs, then what label someone
else places on what you did is less relevant than figuring out what
title fits what you want to do, providing your employer agrees to it.


Rich Braun wrote:
> My own career has seen a progression of titles engineer <- manager <-
> director <- vp <- president, in 5 successive jobs since 1994.  Arrows
> added:  yep, they are in the *opposite* chronological order that most
> ambitious people seek in their careers.

This sort of "title regression" is pretty common for people who were
involved in the first dot-com bubble. I run across a fair number of
former CTOs that are now things like senior engineers.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/