Saturday, December 20, 2025

Wait, what? The 15 most commonly misunderstood job titles

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The job market is evolving

As we know, each generation comes with its own form of jargon. Phrases such as “YOLO,” “squad,” and “turnt” may not have resonance in meaning for people over a certain age.

However, this phenomenon does not just apply to slang terms. As generations evolve, so does the job market. With this, job titles change through the course of time.

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Business Insider recently compiled a list of the 15 most commonly misunderstood job titles. Fully 1,390 parents were surveyed, and almost half of them were unfamiliar with what their child does for work.

Below is the list of the 15 most commonly misunderstood job titles according to the study. The percentages next to them reflect the number of parents who did not understand the title.

The 15 most commonly misunderstood job titles

1. User-Interface Designer: 97%
A user-interface designer is responsible for creating technology that is easier for people to use.

2. Data Scientist: 95%
Data scientists analyze information (data) in order to help leaders make stronger and better decisions for their company.

3. Actuary: 94%
This job involves using statistics as a way of estimating how much it costs to insure people.

4. Social-Media Manager: 93%
A social-media manager works with a company and develops and maintains their social media presence.

5. Public-Relations Manager: 91%
Public-relations managers work hard to present a positive image of their client in the public eye.

6. Radio Producer: 90%
A producer of a radio station is tasked with choosing music and booking guests for radio shows.

7. Sociologist: 89%
A sociologist works to learn about people’s beliefs through conducting surveys and interviews.

8. Sports-Team Manager: 86%
The manager of a sports team works along side the coaches and players to make sure everything is running smoothly.

9. Civil Servant: 85%
A civil servant is one who works for the government, but not necessarily for the uniformed services.

10. Engineer: 85%
Engineers are critical thinkers who are tasked to solve problems mechanically, civilly, or medically.

11. Fashion Designer: 85%
These are the people responsible for designing clothing, footwear, and accessories.

12. Investment Banker: 84%
Investment bankers create relationships between those with money and those who need it.

13. Laboratory Technician: 84%
These technicians perform experiments and analyze their results.

14. Sales Executive: 83%
A sales executive searches for people who can benefit from a company’s product.

15. Software Developer: 83%
Software developers work to design and improve software programs.

#JobTitles

Taylor Leddin, Staff Writer
Taylor Leddin, Staff Writerhttps://twitter.com/taylorleddin
Staff Writer, Taylor Leddin is a publicist and freelance writer for a number of national outlets. She was featured on Thrive Global as a successful woman in journalism, and is the editor-in-chief of The Tidbit. Taylor resides in Chicago and has a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Illinois State University.

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