ChatGPT Explains Complex Jobs to a Five Year Old
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Mehaniq)
Job titles can often be a confusing mix of jargon that doesn't clearly describe what a person does all day. Trying to explain these complex roles to a child can lead to some truly amusing and baffling conversations. This very challenge led to an entertaining experiment with ChatGPT.
The Reddit Post That Started It All
It all began with a Reddit post where a Senior Data Analytics Consultant asked ChatGPT to simplify their job for a five-year-old.
The AI's response was both brutally simple and hilariously accurate:
They "count toys and tell people which toys are played with the most.”
The original poster's reaction said it all: "I've never felt so professionally attacked by such an accurate description." Naturally, this sparked curiosity, and I had to try it for myself.
Putting My Own Job to the Test
I prompted ChatGPT with a simple request: "Explain what a journalist does, but make it simple enough for a five-year-old to understand." The answer was quite charming:
"A journalist is like a storyteller who goes out into the world to find out what’s happening. Imagine you hear a loud noise outside, and you really want to know what it is. A journalist’s job is to go look, ask questions, and then come back and explain it in a way everyone can understand."
While it's a broad description, it captures the essence of the profession well. For fun, I also asked for an image to illustrate this, and the result was a wonderfully nostalgic and child-like vision of my role.
(Image credit: ChatGPT)
From Consultants to Captains: AI's Creative Analogies
Inspired, I decided to test other jobs known for their vague or confusing titles.
First up was the Management Consultant. ChatGPT explained it with a clever lemonade stand analogy:
"A management consultant is someone who comes to watch how you do things, figures out what’s slowing you down, and then says, ‘If you set up the cups here, ask your friend to help with change, and buy lemons in bigger bags, you’ll do better.’ They don’t sell the lemonade for you, but they show you smart ways to make the stand work better."
(Image credit: ChatGPT)
Next, I asked about a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The AI's response made the job sound like a grand adventure:
"A CTO is like the 'technology captain' of a company. Imagine a big ship that needs to sail safely and quickly... That’s what a CTO does, but with computers, apps, and gadgets instead of sails and ropes."
This explanation came with an appropriately epic, seafaring image.
(Image credit: ChatGPT)
Finally, I tackled a title that has always seemed deliberately obscure: Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. ChatGPT offered a surprisingly clear and flattering explanation:
"A Vice President of Strategic Initiatives is like the planner for big adventures. Imagine your family wants to go on a really fun trip... Someone has to figure out where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, what you’ll do once you arrive... That’s what this person does for a company."
(Image credit: ChatGPT)
The Surprising Clarity of Simplicity
Modern jobs are often buried in layers of jargon. But when you ask a chatbot to explain a role to a child, all that complexity melts away, leaving you with the core function. You tell stories. You solve problems. You plan adventures. You keep the batteries charged. The descriptions are incomplete, certainly, but they are not inaccurate at getting to the heart of a profession.
This exercise in simplification does more than provide a laugh; it reclaims a sense of purpose. By reframing a job in terms of its fundamental goal, we get a clearer picture of its value. In an era where AI threatens to automate many tasks, understanding the essential human purpose behind a role has never been more important. Just don't ask your CTO to actually steer a ship.
