I’m always hard press to tell people what I do. Technically I am expected to do it all, but I do so much that its out of hand. Can somebody suggest a job title for what I do?
Here is a list: (accompanied by humor related comments)
I do programming (-lots of php -some VBA)
I maintain servers (apache)
I am a database manager (oh god make it stop)
I am a photographer? (at least that’s what my diploma says…)
I am a web-designer (-no comment goes with the rest)
I don’t always program for web interfaces either, I build the tools that other employees use.
So should my business card say:
Name: Prince_Mallow
Occupation: Programmer, Web-developer, database manager, server tech, and sometimes photographer…
I would like a better defined role. My resume can tell you the details but I don’t want to spend an hour trying to explain because I myself don’t even know what I am since it changes from day to day.
If you’re employed you’re usually given a set job role. I do a ton of design and marketing work at my job, along with solely backend programming for both web and desktop, yet I am still a “Web Developer”.
Although, I’ve had people look at me like a bewildered hound when I’ve told them that I’m a Web Developer. To work folk, it’s usually Web Developer, to real world people it’s Programmer. If I were my own boss and could set my own job title, it’d probably be “Code Shaman”.
Work Shaman, that sounds awesome 
I would worry about how other people might view that though.
Technically I was hired as ‘Photographer’ and I’m usually presented as such, but its the thing I do the least. (I’ld say about 2% of my job involves photography because I’m always swamped with the tech stuff) I always feel that it’s misleading. Especially when people start asking which pictures are yours and you can’t point to any.
I’ve never understood the desire to separate Web Developer from Programmer. In many respects it involves the same concepts. In my head Web Developer sounds less like a specialty and more like a put down, but that’s probably because I consider my love for computers, programming. 
lol I’m so confused.
“Master of all things shiny”. It would certainly turn heads 
I’ve never understood the desire to separate Web Developer from Programmer.
Nah, I’m a Web Developer and do very little programming. Just front end.
If I were you I would tell people Programmer Hired to Take Photos. It’s different, it’s true, and I think the majority of people would know what that means (though they’ll want to ask you how that happened : )
Seriously, just pick one you’re comfortable with. Doesn’t really matter, at least not to me. I’m under the impression that most people in the web industry don’t care that much about titles either.
But anyway, “Software Engineer” is a broad title. “Web Developer” is as well. Maybe “Web Producer” would be suitable if you do more than development related tasks—producer sounds a bit weird to me but I use it anyway sometimes when I have to describe my job with one word since website production (implementation, configuration, deployment, project management etc) is what I do. However, I most of the time use “Web Developer” or simply “Founder/Owner” of my businesses.
At the agency I used to work for, I started as a “Software Engineer” and later did more administration of projects and standardized interaction design and prototyping so it got changed to “Interaction Designer”. Later I did pretty much anything, coached junior developers and headed up all kinds of web production so it got changed again, to “Head of Production”. Sounds fancy and a bit over the top though in my opinion. I’m really a web developer and entrepreneur, that’s it.
A web developer doesn’t necessarily have to deal with only development, you know. I know it’s hard to come up with a well defined title when you do a whole bunch of things. I wouldn’t spent too much time and effort on it—if people are really interested they will ask what it is you do, not just what your job title is.
you are multi talented.sounds good.You are working on only one particular profile through which you are earning.thats your actual profile