Big Shiny Badges.

Why job titles matter more than you think: compensation, career progression, and personal branding in tech startups.

"Titles don't matter."

Your favorite founder or VC.

That line gets thrown around a lot in tech. Especially by people who've never had to fight for one.

Titles do matter. A lot.

If you've ever come through the backdoor, no school logos, no referrals, no bigco pedigree, your track record, your title might be the only signal you've got.

It's the story you tell when nobody's listening. It's your story. It's your medal.

It's also your comp band, your leverage in a negotiation, your entry ticket to the next gig.

I've seen what happens when you have the right title, and I've seen what happens when you don't.

You might think it’s just semantics or that “I’m mistaking the forest for the trees” as a famous tier 1 VC once claimed, but wait until that title equals 6 more months of salary.

I come from far in my career.

No prestigious university or college, no family connections, no safety net. Just raw hustle and whatever credibility I could scrape together.

In that world, your title is your armor.

It's what …