Reply to: Job title: Freelance or Independent

[psychocandy]

but more importantly what do you tell your mates/family?

[m0n1k3r]

I like to use Engineer, just to wind up the precious lot who think Engineer is a reserved title like Doctor.

It is in certain countries. Don't use it, or Architect, unless you have the necessary qualifications.

[m0n1k3r]

Am dreaming up this week's job title, and wondering which one to go for. Which conveys more "gravitas". Which one I can spell correctly consistently.

I'll be providing consultancy services for networking technology, but across a number of vendor products. So I want to get across that I'm vendor agnostic/neutral/experienced across the lot.

Currently looking at pitching myself as either of these:

• Freelance Consultant
• Independent Consultant

From the point of view of customers, a freelancer is mostly somebody who works on smaller projects from home, often several at the same time for different customers. Examples are copywriting and graphical design.

A consultant is independent (from the customer) by design so no need to spell it out.

I would use just consultant, although many people (especially in the UK) associate that with developing options and presenting recommendations in a report, and possibly overseeing implementation. That's also what you seen on the business cards of people from most IT consultancies. Beware though - recruiters may think you are a recruiter yourself as they nowadays all tend to call themselves 'consultants', despite never providing any useful advice or reports.

Consider IT consultant, as that is associated with both recommending and more hands-on specialist work.

From the point of view of customers, a 'contractor' is never independent. It is just a short form name for contract worker / temp staff / contingent labour / leased labour / resource / employment business (staffing agency) staff etc. Avoid that, unless that is what you really, deep in your heart, want to be.

[mudskipper]

Going on for six years that's been there if the date is right.

Though I don't think MF has been struggling in yank land for that long. Feels more like 2 years. Wasn't he selling wicker crap out of chinese containers back then, with multiple 'shops' in the UK?

Someone's telling porkies. Maybe everyone.

He was an American cage fighter back then IIRC. With sledges.

[mudskipper]

My job title us usually preceded by the question "What do you want it to be?"

Cruella De Ville: What kind of sycophant are you?
Frederick: Uh, what kind of sycophant would you like me to be?

[MrMarkyMark]

Yep, but I've not come across many other role names for delivering typical post-sales pro services work. It's either Consultant, Architect, Product Specialist ...

(I've always liked Architect as an IT role title - makes me feel like I've short-cut the education that real architects had to go through to use that title!).

They are all legitimately on my CV, apart from "Freelancer" .

I specialise in a core technology stack though and associated activities around that.
Has always paid the bills

Architecture at the purest level for complex systems can be as complex as architecting a building, depends on how well you want to do it.

[scooterscot]

My job title us usually preceded by the question "What do you want it to be?"

[greenlake]

Ninja or jedi master

How about 'Innovation Sherpa'....?

[Hobosapien]

Urban Dictionary: cuntractor

Going on for six years that's been there if the date is right.

Though I don't think MF has been struggling in yank land for that long. Feels more like 2 years. Wasn't he selling wicker crap out of chinese containers back then, with multiple 'shops' in the UK?

Someone's telling porkies. Maybe everyone.

[Hobosapien]

Yep, but I've not come across many other role names for delivering typical post-sales pro services work. It's either Consultant, Architect, Product Specialist ...

(I've always liked Architect as an IT role title - makes me feel like I've short-cut the education that real architects had to go through to use that title!).

I like to use Engineer, just to wind up the precious lot who think Engineer is a reserved title like Doctor.

[Spoiler]

Anything with "Consultant' sounds total . Consulting what? Whoever is fleecing the client on your behalf? I prefer to fleece them myself.

Yep, but I've not come across many other role names for delivering typical post-sales pro services work. It's either Consultant, Architect, Product Specialist ...

(I've always liked Architect as an IT role title - makes me feel like I've short-cut the education that real architects had to go through to use that title!).

[Old Greg]

Urban Dictionary: cuntractor

[SimonMac]

My job title is what ever the client is hiring!

Although I usually prefix it with Interim

[MrMarkyMark]

Corporate Whore

[AtW]

Mercenary