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On 1 Aug 2002 at 10:11, eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com
wrote:
> I agree that titles are always bogus. You should never attach you
> feeling of self worth to what people call you.
Ideally, no, you shouldn't base your self worth on a job title.
However, my real-world experience has shown that people *do*
treat you differently based upon job title, and it does affect how you
define yourself in your own mind.
Several years of my working life I was an administrative or executive
assistant. At another job I was a technical writer. Now, my title is
"Applications Engineer", though I spend a lot of time writing, as well
as testing h/w and s/w, customer training, technical support, etc.
There is a big difference in how people perceive an executive
assistant and an aps engineer, though I'm still the same person with
the same skills (well, OK, obviously my skill set has grown with
experience and training, but you get the general idea).
> Whether to continue performing the additional duties is another matter.
> If they are still performed ensure that each time they are done the
> fact that they are not part of the job is underlined. Otherwise,
> perhaps it's time for a little 'work to rule'. Start refusing to do
> what isn't in the job description unless there is more than ample free
> time and as a writer would otherwise be idle.
I think this is unwise advice. All I need in my life is one more person
saying "It's not my job". In the current job market, a person who
willingly accepts additional tasks without complaint or making an
"ordeal" out of it, is going to keep a job a lot longer than Mr. "It's Not
My Job".
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