Not your usual job title

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

When I was younger, I wanted to be a magazine editor (National Geographic, New Yorker). I didn't set out to be a communications director, but that's what I am now at Duke University, and I'm loving my job. Many days, though, I think of myself as a park ranger, but that title isn't among the thousands of job positions listed by Duke.

Anyway, I found this proposition by M.G. Siegler, in Reading the Room, to be intriguing:

Several years ago, I wrote a post outlining a need I saw for big companies: a VP of Devil’s Advocacy. That is, someone who could serve as a gut-check ahead of product launches, to make sure they should really go forward.

A friend of mine asked for career advice. I suggested he craft his own job title, and write his ideal job description, and then make it happen. I hope he does so. Maybe he'll be a park ranger, or a vice president of reading the room.