In polite society, this is often the opening gambit to an elaborate discussion that can take hours and require the use of a powerpoint deck or visio diagram. Unfortunately, this question gets asked when we are not properly equipped – at dinners, in bars, family gatherings and even at airports (although the stuff they ask at airports will one day fill an entirely different post). Short of schooling the questioner on the minutiae of specializations that the technology industry promotes, it can be very hard to articulate the average IT role to a layman while still holding their attention.
The technical truth is often a mixture of esoteric titles and acronyms…
I’m an OPS PM in the MOD TPM PMG, focused on 365. Still listening? Many technology organizations are laser focused on branding – or more specifically, naming. Everyone has an opinion on feature naming, code naming, variable naming, product naming, taglines, essence, Geopol testing (geopolitical testing – where you make sure your awesome new feature name like RootSmart does not sound like a hilarious insult in some far away country). However, it seems we use up all that naming energy and let the HR teams go crazy with alphabet soup acronyms. Yet still to the average Joe, you may as well introduce yourself as a Level 60 Troll Mage from Azeroth.
Once upon a time, a person had a profession for life and a job title meant something. You would be born as a smith, work as a smith, die as a smith (and your surname may have had a Smith in it). Today more likely to outlive a profession before it outlives you and new job titles are being created all the time.
The solution? Make it up.
Seriously. Now, obviously there is a difference between giving yourself a battlefield promotion and bending some rules to make yourself understood. First impressions are important and a good title can help you preempt the “who are you and why are you here?” questions. The other reason to make up your own title is, well, everyone is doing it. Consulting companies often have a vested interest in pumping out “senior consultants” (hint: they charge more for senior resources), startups seem to hand out “Vice President” roles as a staff retention policy and large organizations even appoint multiple people to “C-level” roles (a CTO in every department? Sure – you can never have too many Chiefs).
Because it doesn’t really matter.
If you work in technology you are working in the industry at the epicenter of the 21st century. You get to see alternative futures spark into existence or fizzle into the recycle bin. The industry is simultaneously scary, yet fulfilling; a mad scramble of successes and failures, yet plodding forward in the slow march of progress; uncovering strange new challenges, yet dealing with one of the oldest problems humanity has faced (other humans).
If you grok that, then we can have a long and interesting discussion – and if you don’t?
“I work in IT”
Superstratum 