7 careers that sounded impressive 10 years ago that now make people go "oh... that's still a thing?"

Remember when having certain job titles would instantly make you the most interesting person at a dinner party? I was at a friend's barbecue last weekend, and someone mentioned they were a "social media guru." The response? A polite smile and a quick subject change.

It got me thinking about how quickly the professional landscape shifts. A decade ago, that same title would have had everyone leaning in, asking for tips on growing their Facebook pages. Now? It feels about as cutting-edge as saying you're really good at sending faxes.

The truth is, technology and cultural shifts have a way of making yesterday's dream jobs feel like today's punchlines. And while these careers aren't necessarily obsolete, they've lost that special shine that once made them conversation starters.

Here are seven careers that used to sound incredibly impressive but now make people wonder if you've updated your LinkedIn lately.

1. Social media manager

Back in 2014, being a social media manager was like being a digital wizard. Companies were desperately trying to figure out this whole Facebook and Twitter thing, and if you knew how to schedule posts and read analytics, you were golden.

These days? My 15-year-old cousin manages her school's Instagram account between homework assignments. What was once a specialized skill set has become as basic as knowing how to send an email.

Don't get me wrong, there are still legitimate social media strategists doing important work. But the title itself has been so diluted that everyone from MLM sellers to unemployed influencers claims it. It's gone from "wow, you must really understand digital marketing" to "so... you post on Instagram for a living?"

The real pros have had to rebrand themselves as "digital strategists" or "growth hackers" just to be taken seriously again.

2. Life coach

This one hits close to home. After finishing my psychology degree at Deakin, I watched countless classmates pivot to life coaching when traditional psychology paths didn't pan out. It seemed like the perfect compromise: help people, be your own boss, and skip the years of additional training required for clinical work.

But somewhere along the way, life coaching became the career equivalent of a participation trophy. Everyone who read a self-help book or survived a breakup suddenly hung out their shingle as a life coach.

The market got so saturated that actual qualified coaches with real training and expertise got lumped in with people whose only credential was having an Instagram account with motivational quotes. It's actually what partly inspired me to write my book on Buddhism and mindfulness – I wanted to offer something more substantial than the typical "follow your dreams" platitudes that had taken over the industry.

Now when someone says they're a life coach, the immediate question isn't "what's your approach?" but "do you have any actual clients?"

3. App developer

"I'm developing an app" used to be the modern equivalent of "I'm writing a screenplay." It signaled innovation, tech-savvy brilliance, and probably a future fortune.

Ten years ago, if you could code even a basic iOS app, you were practically Silicon Valley royalty. Every business wanted their own app, whether they needed one or not. Remember when every restaurant had their own ordering app? Or when there was an app for literally everything, including apps to help you find other apps?

Today, with no-code platforms and AI that can generate basic apps in minutes, being an "app developer" has lost its mystique. Unless you're working on something genuinely groundbreaking, telling people you're developing an app is likely to get the same reaction as saying you're starting a blog.

The gold rush is over, and the market is so oversaturated that even genuinely useful apps struggle to get noticed among the millions of options in the app stores.

4. SEO specialist

I remember when SEO specialists were treated like digital shamans who held the secret keys to Google's algorithm. Companies would pay astronomical fees to someone who knew how to stuff keywords and build backlinks.

But Google got smarter, and so did everyone else. What used to require specialized knowledge can now be handled by most competent content creators or marketing generalists. The mysterious art of SEO has been demystified by countless YouTube tutorials, free tools, and AI assistants that can optimize your content in seconds.

The cowboys who used to charge thousands for basic SEO audits have mostly moved on to the next shiny object. Real SEO expertise still matters, but the days of impressing people at parties by saying you "do SEO" are long gone. Now it just sounds like you're stuck in 2013.

5. Cryptocurrency trader

Remember 2014-2017 when everyone's unemployed friend was suddenly a "cryptocurrency trader" driving a Tesla? Those were wild times. Being into crypto before it was cool made you seem like a visionary who understood the future of money.

Fast forward to today, after multiple crashes, countless scams, and your grandmother asking about Bitcoin at Thanksgiving, and the shine has definitely worn off. Saying you're a crypto trader now is more likely to elicit eye rolls than admiration.

The space has matured, and legitimate blockchain developers and fintech professionals have distinguished themselves from the "to the moon" crowd. But the generic "crypto trader" title? That's about as impressive as saying you day trade on Robinhood during your lunch break.

6. Influencer marketing consultant

This career emerged when brands realized that teenagers with ring lights were outperforming their million-dollar ad campaigns. If you understood the influencer ecosystem in 2014, you were invaluable.

Companies needed someone to explain why they should pay a 22-year-old thousands of dollars to post a selfie with their product. Enter the influencer marketing consultant: part translator, part negotiator, part trend forecaster.

But like many things in the digital world, what was once mysterious has become mundane. Every marketing intern now knows how to run an influencer campaign. The metrics are standardized, the platforms have built-in tools, and even AI can match brands with appropriate influencers.

In my book about living with maximum impact and minimum ego, I talk about how true influence comes from authentic value creation, not manufactured personas. The influencer marketing consultants who survived are the ones who evolved beyond just connecting brands with Instagram models.

7. Growth hacker

Ah, the growth hacker. No title screamed "Silicon Valley disruptor" quite like this one. It suggested someone who could scale a startup from zero to unicorn status using nothing but clever tricks and viral loops.

The term itself was marketing genius. Who wouldn't want to hire someone who could "hack" growth? It sounded technical, innovative, and slightly rebellious.

But here's what happened: everyone started calling themselves a growth hacker. The person who figured out how to get more email signups? Growth hacker. The intern who suggested using TikTok? Growth hacker. Someone who read a blog post about A/B testing? You guessed it.

The title became so overused and meaningless that actual growth professionals had to go back to calling themselves what they really were: marketers, product managers, or data analysts who happen to focus on growth metrics.

Final words

The careers on this list aren't necessarily bad or worthless. Many talented professionals still work in these fields and make meaningful contributions. The issue is that the titles themselves have been devalued through overuse, market saturation, or simple evolution of the industry.

What's the lesson here? Career prestige has a shorter shelf life than ever before. The job that makes you the star of the networking event today might be tomorrow's cautionary tale about trend-chasing.

Instead of chasing impressive-sounding titles, focus on developing real skills and creating genuine value. Because while job titles come and go, competence and authenticity never go out of style.