System Administrator or Spy: What Do Job Titles Really Say?

When it comes to titles and job names, misnomers abound.  They can lead to confusion and even, deception.  In turn, erroneous titles make it very difficult for you to identify yourself and to search for jobs.

Take the case of Edward Snowden who leaked classified documents about national security surveillance. He has been referred to as a system administrator, a person who ensures that a variety of systems work together smoothly.  But Snowden said he was really an infrastructure analyst.  Even that title sounds fairly innocuous, because an infrastructure analyst diagnoses problems and capacity issue in computer infrastructure through the underlying computer logic and through remote access.

However, Snowden’s job was to hack into the Internet and telephone data around the globe to collect intelligence and security information. As a result of work of Snowden and others, the National Security Agency has amassed hours of American and European private conversations and office communications. That is not a systems administrator, nor an infrastructure analyst position.  Perhaps intelligence spy?

Some of this is tongue in cheek.  But the kernel of wisdom is the importance of targeting the kind of work you want and positioning yourself to support that target.  If you need, have two or three targets.  But remember: a systems administrator is not an infrastructure analyst is not an intelligence spy.