What’s in a Name – What to call that Tableau role OR what should I put as my title on LinkedIn?

When I was interpreting, I had to explain to people I was not a translator. Bugged by how often this happened, I finally did some informal investigation. Overwhelmingly, my clients preferred the terms translation and translator for the work I was doing versus interpreter. Asked the difference, and translation ended up being perceived as more accurate. Maybe it’s the beginning ‘tr’ sound or the slowness of ‘sl’ to the second ‘t’ that indicates focus or the severity of the word in contrast to its more loosey-goosey cousin, interpret, which seemed tied most often to ‘interpretive dance’ and the like. People feared interpreters bent the message to whatever intent the interpreter had, not the original speaker.

I’ll let you in on the truth: both interpreters AND translators sometimes have to bend message to avoid unintentional offense or misunderstandings.  Translators just do this in writing.  Interpreters do this live in sign or speech.  Maddening, right?  The other difference?  Translators get a LOT more time to do their work, but few ways to get clarification.  Which one is more accurate?  It really depends on how you measure.

When I went into the work I do now (“data”), I had no words for what it was that I did. I picked a name that sounded good to me. Then I learned some more and picked a different name. Now, after using Tableau for 10 years and consulting for over 5, I still have no idea what to call myself. Consultant, yes. Blogger, okay. Analyst, yep. “Tableau-er?” Doesn’t roll off the tongue very well. (Rumor has it internal Tableau people are call….Tabloids – I have no confirmation on this.)

When we get into what I can only call the constellation of data work (AKA ‘title soup’), we add to this confusion.  In no particular order, I present you titles I’ve seen:

• Tableau developer
• Tableau designer
• Tableau person (kid you not)
• Tableau analyst
• Tableau report writer
• Tableau data scientist
• Tableau engineer
• Tableau artist
• Tableau architect

You can also mix and match these titles with a number of other words replacing Tableau with other options, such as data, database, data warehouse, report, and numerous other options.  This doesn’t include jobs where Tableau is a part of it, not the bulk of it.  Now, Elijah Meeks has already written about some of the confusion here.

Here’s what I’ve very informally found (lack of data supported by Google, random chats with people, and my own poorly informed opinion).

FAKE NEWS ALERT

• Analysts get paid poorly. If you’re looking for a new job on LinkedIn (or most of those other sites) and put analyst in your headline, plan for getting the lower end of the salary. This is not an absolute rule, as there are always exceptions. I blame this on ‘analyst’ becoming the go-to term for any job that involves a computer and periodically touching a spreadsheet. It used to be words like specialist. At one point, specialists specialized and it was a good thing. Now, you’re seen as myopic and generalists are hot. If you’re a specialist and don’t want to learn anything, wait 20 years or sell yourself as an artisan (that word, for now, still has value).
• Artists seem to have the widest band in pay. Isn’t this always the case? If you think you can cut it in art school and have few artists like you, go for it. Try to get top dollar.
• Designer is a bit like artist, but with less deviation. It errs towards the middle end. It tops out quick, unless you get in with some place like IDEO or the like (usually places that sell design). Prepare to spend a lot of time arguing your worth and that it’s not just pretty pictures that you make. (Artists, you’ll have this same problem.) Apparently, UI, UX, and other U-related acronyms may also be the way to go.
• Developer is the ready steady standby. Be prepared to take tests, answer questions that encompass Star Trek, Star Wars, and some technical piece that you learned about once, but never used. Pay falls somewhere in the middle to the high end (probably why so many people use it) but they often end up working places that use waterfall or make Tableau reports modeled from legacy BI. This may sometimes be used as a reason for poor design (ex: I’m a developer, not a designer. Give it to Bill to make it pretty.) If this is you – STOP! There are numerous places to learn to improve your design and it’s a key part of the job. /end rant.
• Engineer seldom pops up, but when it does, I’m always bewildered. I own part of a sound engineering firm. We have big toys, we make a lot of noise, sometimes, ceiling tiles fall off and another engineer comes to fix it. Engineers usually touch physical stuff, sometimes code, and, while an engineer may use Tableau, they often have another primary trade. If you’re being offered a Tableau engineering job, you may want to dig deeper. Literally.
• Report writer. Unless you work at Brookings or another research institute or have a background in research, this sounds like the 6th grade. Just, no.
• Data scientists get top dollar, but only for a little bit longer. People are catching on to this and tacking on all kinds of additional silliness. Have a PhD? Go on with your bad self and choose whatever name you want. Anyone else? I’ll let you do your own examination.
• Tableau Architect is a bit like engineer. If you’re working mostly with server or warehousing, I might roll with it. Otherwise, it sounds like you’ve made friends with waterfall methods when everyone is hunting for agile. I have no idea what architects get paid, but if Bewitched taught me anything, it might be the way to go.

Side caveat: “full stack” in front of these terms – particularly analyst – bumps up the pay a lot. As it should.  You’re doing everything the database person would do, as well as the server admin, and parts of IT. (Although, rumor has it, people are catching on to this too.)

Second side caveat: If you’re recruiting for a Tableau [insert name here] and your job description duties span 2 pages, please add ‘full stack’ now.  Even if you’re seeking an artist.

Final caveat: this is an extremely informal scan of titles and job positions and contains probably more errors than factual information. But, if you’re like me, maybe it made you laugh. Or cry, since I still don’t have a name.