Life with a flatulent greyhound... - The "Gist" of It
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09:22 pm
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The "Gist" of It
Having recently screened resumes and done interviews for my company, I'm noticing an alarming trend in job titles - taking regular nouns like "technology" or "strategy" and adding "ist" to the end to get such gems as "learning strategist" or "academic technologist". Now I understand that job titles have long been victims of "weasel words" but the latest ones seem to take it to a new low.
Just WTF is a "learning strategist"? Can you teach a classroom course? Can you design online instruction? How about write solid test questions? Can you evaluate curricula and see if it matches learning objectives in both content and instructional level? Or are you an over-glorified simple instructional designer with delusions of grandeur who can only create online content by rote application of the ADDIE process, just like everyone else?
Pah. There was a day when job titles actually described what you did. Now it seems like people are in a contest to see who can come up with the most non-descriptive, yet hip, job title.
Bottom line is I don't care what you call yourself. Your resume is going to get tossed in the circular file if I can't quickly figure out what you can do, no matter how hip you job titles are.
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![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/86163280/960829) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sjo |
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| Date: | May 5th, 2009 01:39 am (UTC) |
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I'm a Web Specialist. If my project needs it to go on the web, that's my job.
I call myself a "curriculum specialist" to emphasize that I work across a curriculum, not just individual courses. Those kinds of titles are non-ambiguous. But something like a "learning technologist"? WTF is a "techologist" to begin with? That's not even a word.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/2303239/194464) | | From: | eac |
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| Date: | May 5th, 2009 02:43 am (UTC) |
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I don't actually think job titles were much better a decade ago, Deb. At least, not where I was working...
Ugh, it's like Academese! They're just making up words to make themselves appear smarter. I hate Academese.
I'm having Lil C write my next resume and give me a title. Maybe he'll give me something like "The Ultimate Educatability" or "Learning Technologiness". |
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