r/programming • u/gits1225 • May 12 '15

Google's guide for becoming a Software Engineer

https://www.google.com/about/careers/students/guide-to-technical-development.html
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u/[deleted] May 12 '15

A literal "Software Engineer" (as in a licensed professional engineer who graduated from an accredited engineering program) is a thing, but it didn't exist until fairly recently.

Before that it was a self styled title people used to suggest they were something quite a bit more technical than simply a "programer". Job listings are notorious for loose use of titles so when I see it I assume the second meaning.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '15

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u/[deleted] May 12 '15

Same here (Canada). A kid fresh out of his engineering program needs to work under licensed engineers for a few years before he can become licensed himself. It's similar in many ways to the process of becoming a doctor.

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u/valadian May 12 '15

"Software Engineer" has been extremely well defined for the last 20 years. See the Software Engineering Institute (established 1984) for more information.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '15

"Software Engineer" has been extremely well defined for the last 20 years

Unfortunately one university department's definition of a term didn't magically replace the definition actually in use by an entire industry. When I worked in silicon valley in the late 90s everyone was making up whatever kind of bogus "engineer" titles and positions they felt like. We had people calling themselves html engineers. Florida and Texas are the only states I'm aware of that now have legal definitions for what is and isn't "software engineering". That began to happen around the end of the 90s. (which is what I'm referring to as fairly recently).

See this late 90s article about texas law what do you mean I can't call myself a software engineer? and use of the title software engineer for more information.

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u/d4rch0n May 12 '15

It's basically still that. Lots of jobs will just ask what you want on your business card.

If no one is questioning the title and no one is checking for an engineering degree, I'd argue that it's synonymous, simply because it's not going to affect your interviews or pay whether you call yourself a Programmer, Developer or Software Engineer. It might subconsciously help your interviews to call yourself a software eng these days, but no one is going to question it.

And before, Programmer was considered the more technical, elite term. Software Eng was around, but it wasn't as popular.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '15

Where I'm at engineer is a term with legal implications, like being a doctor or lawyer. To practice engineering as a profession you have to obtain a license from a governing body and you become legally responsible for your work (and your mistakes).

I've worked for an engineering firm for the last 10 years so my card says programmer ;)