[Discuss] What is my work title?

[richb at pioneer.ci.net (Rich Braun)]

If you have the option of choosing any title you want before crafting your
resume, think of what position you want (and which ones you don't want) and
choose accordingly.  Upper-level tech people eschew titles the same way they
do vendor certifications.

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.  The more comfortable you get with technology, the less you
care what people call you:  and the more you get to know your intellectual
peers, the less you want to hold management authority over them.  I would not
be surprised if more than one other person here on this message board has gone
through a very similar progression of titles.

Do what you want to do, get paid what you can negotiate, and let others figure
out what to call you.  Most people just call me Rich.  How many of us use our
titles outside the HR office, anyway?

-rich