[actually_a_dog]

> My favourite title in my entire career (and it was my actual title) was "Code Monkey"[1], it got entered as a joke in the HR system and everything after that sort of followed on even my business cards (remember those?) said it (since company ordered them and did a mail merge from the HR system).

One company I worked at let people use whatever title they wanted, as long as it was in good taste, and it didn't imply a level of authority you didn't have. I never actually took advantage of that, but I kind of wish I had, just for the sake of having some hilarious business cards.

[TeMPOraL]

I'm gonna guess the career-savvy people just went with no-joke "senior software engineer" or "principal software engineer", because the easiest way to be hired as a senior/principal and get the associated salary bump is to already have that job title on CV from your previous job.

[actually_a_dog]

Sorta kinda. Most people just went with some variation on "software engineer," but I don't think anybody really inflated their title beyond what the norm would have been for their experience level.

Now that I've read what @noir_lord wrote about how it's helped a bit career-wise, I may go back and revise my title to "Code Slinger" or something. After all, given the policy, it's not like they can really call me on it. ;)

[noir_lord]

It actually worked to my advantage career wise.

Partners would get a chuckle out of it, then remember me when anything dev related came up which let me make really useful contacts I otherwise wouldn't have made.

What is life for if not to be whimsical occasionally.

> Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. (Hubbard)

[andylynch]

I knew a guy at Morgan Stanley who’s business card said ‘Tea Lady’