The Trouble with Titles

Chief Principal Senior Enterprise Solutions Architect Manager

Somewhere in the world there is someone with a title just like that. In my previous employer I ended up with the title “Director of Information Systems and Technology.” Which was partly my fault because I didn’t really know how to describe a title for “The Person Responsible for Pretty Much All Technical Decisions and Implementation.” It wasn’t an ego title, just an unfortunate one. And that title made me less likely to hand out my business card because I felt awkward handing out something with that string of words next to my name. Later I changed my title to “Principal Developer” which I felt was more accurate and less of a mouthful.

Now that I’m starting to move down the path of being a contractor and an independent business owner what is an appropriate title? “President” or “CEO” seems pretentious unless it’s on a form for the government or simply a statement of my role in my company. Generic titles also seem to distance me from how I perceive myself as being a software developer first and foremost. “Software Developer” seems accurate but might be limiting to people who don’t share similar views as to what being a software developer means. I like the title used for independent truck drivers, “Owner Operator.” It’s a title in the trucking industry that implies you are both the owner of the business and that you are also a driver on the road. Why don’t we have something like that in the software development field? “Owner Developer”, I think that has a nice ring to it.

[edit: Apparently I don't know the difference between 'principle' and 'principal'. Thanks to Sergio Pereira for pointing that out. :)]