I'm a Project Manager. This wasn't exactly a recognized profession a few decades ago, but over time people realized they needed someone who could actually manage projects effectively and knew how to do it. What I am now I would not have been decades ago.
In fact, in my area of work, video games, Project Management isn't as common as other organizations. It's becoming more prominent, and some jobs are being reclassified as Project Management. My profession is growing by simple changes in terms.
One of the hardest things in our careers is to find a way to describe ourselves. That few words we use to describe our job, our business, etc. acts as a touchstone, a symbol, for what we think of ourselves, what we do, how we relate to people.
The only problem is its changing all the time.
Today's Administrative assistant is far more technical than they were decades ago. An artist today often has to be very computer literate. A writer today has more options than they would have, and live in a world where self-publishing is more a compliment and less an insult or a suggestion of vanity.
When you're looking at a career, a position, even your own business, be very aware of how you're defining yourself. What you think the job entails may not be what it is now – and certainly not what it may be in the future. A lot of the common ideas of careers, jobs, and economics in popular culture are years or even decades behind the reality.
If you understand what a career or job involves today you can pursue it – and be aware of how it can evolve in the future. If you aren't aware, you're at a disadvantage.
– Steven Savage