# What should my Job Title be ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234 "2009-02-10T16:19:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chew\_Barker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Chew\_Barker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chew_Barker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/1 "2009-02-10T16:19:30Z")
I’m looking for ideas of what I should call myself. I work for small (approx 100 employees) but global company. When I joined the company, I was recruited to work as a Systems Analyst, this work was completed faster than expected and I was re-assigned a position in the much more exciting Diversification Team. My role on this team is now my full time primary role in the company, there are 3 other team members 2 marketing guys and a mechanical engineer. My job description is short and sweet. “Develop new and innovative products through the advancement of technology”. I have a free rein to research any area that interests me as long as I have a product in mind that will be “exciting” enough for the CEO. I have a background in Artificial Intelligence which the CEO finds very exciting, so some of the projects I have been working on are concepts for innovative robotic products with some rough algorithms drawn together to give the project some substance. Other projects include designing and prototyping shape memory alloy actuators, and finding applications for these. Robotic limb and joint design and prototyping. Electric motor optimization. And AI simulations for machine learning. My business card says Research & Development Engineer, however when I look at other job descriptions for R&D Engineers they don’t seem to do the same as me. Please help me decide what I am. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/2 "2009-02-10T16:35:21Z")
> [@Chew\_Barker](#): > > Please help me decide what I am. Free Roaming Agent of Chaos 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/3 "2009-02-10T17:22:20Z")
Drop all other words and just say “Analyst”. If you are well paid try Senior Analyst. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/4 "2009-02-10T17:32:02Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Free Roaming Agent of Chaos 😃 Ok, THAT is a winner!! ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/5 "2009-02-10T17:36:59Z")
The only uses for your job title are looking good on your resume and establishing your place in the precking order if the company expands or gets taken over. Definitely include ‘senior’, try to work in ‘manager’ or ‘VP’. I have seen numerous instances of people who were manifestly underqualified getting nice jobs and bags of cash due to misunderstandings over titles. 2 examples: In the energy business there is a class of engineer known as an ‘asset manager’. These guys are not managers in the conventional sense of managing people or a department, in fact new hire kids right out of school receive this title. When they move on to other industries, like engineering consulting firms it is not uncommon for them to be considered for management positions because of clueless gatekeepers. We have here a VP whose previous title was also VP at a much smaller company. He used to manage about 5 employees and maybe 5-10 simultaneous projects. Now, he has more than 60 people under him and is responsible for at least 100 simultaneous projects. Several much more qualified people with were passed over, internally, because their job titles were ‘manager’ not ‘VP’. ---
**Author:** ![Chase\_Ransom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@Chase\_Ransom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chase_Ransom)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/6 "2009-02-10T18:46:35Z")
- Engineer Extraordinaire - VP of Everything - Master of the Absurd - Purveyor of Miraculous Wonders - Mr. Wonderful - Executive Officer of Greatness Or just simply… - Delicious ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/7 "2009-02-10T20:02:01Z")
Based on what you told me last time, why not just “Chief Inventor”? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/8 "2009-02-10T20:37:13Z")
1. Cylon/Borg Liason Officer 2. Harbringer of Death 3. Dude with a Really Cool Gig ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/9 "2009-02-10T21:30:35Z")
A guy I worked with who had a similar, though slightly different role, called himself a: Technology Sherpa. I’ve always liked that one. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/10 "2009-02-10T22:07:53Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Free Roaming Agent of Chaos 😃 I think I may put this in my work sig. I also considered ‘Ronin’. How about ‘Director of Innovation’ ? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/11 "2009-02-10T23:08:32Z")
> [@](#): > > What should my Job Title be ? –_Jade Emperor Of The Dawn Of The Golden Door_ sounds nice. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/12 "2009-02-11T00:05:19Z")
I’m partial to “Grand High Panjandrum,” myself. Almost had it printed on my business cards once but the company went tits up… Correlation does NOT imply causation! Shut up! ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/13 "2009-02-12T03:46:03Z")
I can’t take full credit for it. Apparently it was a term coined for Harlan Ellisons part in the production of Babylon 5. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-my-job-title-be/485234/14 "2009-02-12T05:05:46Z")
Lets see, your job involves memory alloy actuators, AI, and robotics. Hmmm, what kind of work could possibly combine all those things into one neat little package? Its on the tip of my tongue. Don’t tell me, I’ll think of it in a sec. Ah! [Here!](http://www.terminatorchronicles.com/stills/2007/07/terminator-t-1000.jpg) So, with the _real_ nature of your work established, lets think of a good job title for you. How about one of these: Senior Project Manager Skynet T-1000 Division. Bringer of Doom and Destruction to All Mankind ED 209 Initialization Manager Director Forbin Project Proteus IV Development Manager Modern Prometheus Executive Senior Shiva Robotics Developer Creator of Your New Robotic Overlords Senior Nexus 6 Developer for Project Roy Batty Or, my personal favorite: I’m a Killbot Creator, Bitch! 😃