Over the last decade or two, workplaces have evolved significantly, introducing roles that never previously existed. This has meant job titles have become more creative and specialized, some of which are completely alien to older generations. Here are 17 modern job titles that might leave Boomers scratching their heads.
Social Media Manager
These days, social media dominates our lives, so as Forbes points out, social media managers are highly necessary. This role involves handling social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as creating engaging content and analyzing audience interactions. Understandably, boomers, who remember media as newspapers and TV, often find this job title puzzling.
UX Designer
User experience (or UX) designers focus on making products user-friendly and enjoyable. They conduct research and test designs to ensure a seamless experience, so it’s a pretty important behind-the-scenes role. However, boomers might find this role confusing, as they’re used to using digital tools, not developing them.
Data Scientist
Another modern job title that confuses boomers is a data scientist, a job that specializes in analyzing vast amounts of data to find trends and insights that inform business decisions. Their work involves statistics, programming, and data visualization, all of which can be confusing to boomers, especially when they consider scientists to work in the lab–not on a computer.
Cloud Architect
Designing and managing cloud computing systems is the primary responsibility of a cloud architect. They ensure that data is stored and accessed securely over the internet, which is imperative for modern businesses to run smoothly. However, boomers typically use physical storage solutions, so they might struggle to grasp this virtual concept.
Growth Hacker
One of the less common modern job titles that even you may not have heard of is a growth hacker, which focuses on ensuring rapid business growth through creative marketing strategies and experimentation. They often work in startups, using unconventional methods to gain traction quickly. This title can be bewildering to older people accustomed to traditional marketing roles.
Scrum Master
Confusingly, being a scrum master has nothing to do with rugby; the role facilitates agile project management within a team, ensuring smooth workflows and communication. They help teams stick to agile principles and remove obstacles. Ultimately, boomers might find this title odd, as it sounds more like a sports role than a corporate one.
DevOps Engineer
Development operations or DevOps engineers bridge the gap between development and operations, automating and streamlining important pipeline processes. They improve collaboration and efficiency within IT teams, so it’s important stuff, but don’t expect boomers to understand that.
Influencer Marketer
Most boomers know what an influencer is these days, but maybe not influencer marketers. These workers collaborate with social media influencers to promote products and brands, identifying key influence targets and managing partnerships to reach target audiences.
Digital Nomad
One of the most desirable jobs among young people these days is being a digital nomad, which entails working remotely from various locations worldwide, leveraging technology to perform their jobs while traveling the world. This lifestyle-focused job title can be confusing to those who spent their careers in traditional office settings, but ultimately, it’s just as legitimate as any other job.
SEO Specialist
While they’ve been around for two decades already, search engine optimization (SEO) specialists might be faced with confusion by boomers. They improve website visibility on search engines like Google, analyzing keywords and trends to boost online traffic. It’s super important if a company wants to rank highly on search engines, something most boomers just won’t understand.
Blockchain Developer
Perhaps the most confusing job title for boomers is blockchain developers, who create and manage blockchain applications and systems, focusing on secure digital transactions. This highly technical role involves cryptography and decentralized networks, two highly abstract niches that most boomers will struggle to wrap their heads around.
AI Ethicist
AI ethicists ensure that artificial intelligence systems are designed and implemented ethically. They address biases, privacy concerns, misinformation, and societal impacts. This role can be, understandably, bewildering to boomers, who still aren’t quite sure what AI is–let alone AI ethics.
Virtual Reality Designer
To be fair to boomers, most of them will know what virtual reality is, but VR designers are a whole different thing. These employees create immersive digital experiences for various applications, usually for gaming, movies, or interactive experiences. The confusing thing for boomers is that VR designers use 3D gaming engines such as Unreal or Unity to do their work, which is a completely alien concept to them.
Podcast Producer
If you told a boomer you were a radio producer, they’d totally understand, yet despite being a very similar thing, podcast producers are often met with confusion. Ultimately, they just handle the production and distribution of podcast episodes rather than radio shows, managing everything from content planning to audio editing and marketing.
Chief Happiness Officer
CEOs, CTOs, and CFOs are all common abbreviations for boomers who have worked for corporations, but a CHO, standing for Chief Happiness Officer, is not so familiar. This role focuses on employee well-being and workplace culture, implementing programs and policies to boost morale and job satisfaction. This is a very strange concept to older people, as workplace well-being simply wasn’t a thing back in their day.
Bioinformatics Specialist
Arguably, the most complicated job on this list is to be a bioinformatics specialist, which combines biology, computer science, and statistics to analyze biological data. They work on projects like genome sequencing and medical research, leading to a highly skilled interdisciplinary role that will no doubt baffle any boomers.
Meme Curator
Perhaps the most ridiculous job title in the eyes of boomers is meme curator, someone who selects and promotes internet memes for marketing and social media engagement. They understand online trends, audience preferences, and how to use this to create viral content. To Boomers, though, memes are just silly pictures that they don’t understand, so having a job curating them just seems like nonsense to them.