This is interesting. I think it's a healthy way of looking at things, and a good development. I'm always a bit curious about people complaining that "everyone d

This is interesting. I think it's a healthy way of looking at things, and a good development. I'm always a bit curious about people complaining that "everyone defines themselves by their job", because I come from a blue collar background and I never wanted to do that - just the opposite. My job is what I do, not who I am. I write code; I'm good at it, but I don't view myself as any different from a car mechanic who's good at his job. And as I rose in rank, I never had the temptation to introduce myself as "CTO of X". But that wasn't because I wasn't proud of it. It's because I was suspicious of people. I've always wanted to see what other people made of me and how they acted towards me based on how they encountered me, without knowing my job or title. Partly this was to avoid people who are only interested in associating themselves with people they think can help them; partly it was to gauge whether I was still a decent and smart enough guy to be worth their time at face value. Occasionally it was to create simpatico with plumbers and mechanics. But I still refer to myself in most introductions as a former waiter, bartender and taxi driver who picked up some code in my free time, and unless someone knows me for a few months and I trust them, they wouldn't know what I actually did for a living. [edited for clarity]