Define -- "Software Engineering"

2nesser asks: "How do you define the term 'Software Engineering'? Some see it as the implementation of the theoretical world of Computer Science, but isn't there more to it than that? Social responsibility, documentation, a program that works under precise, known conditions? Can you compare Software Engineering to other disciplines? What sets a 'Software Engineer' apart from the rest of the crowd?"

Comments

Re:Yeah that is easy.

[aoteoroa]

Can you imagine if car designers were held to the same standards as web programmers?

• The car would have to be impenetrable.
• The windows would be made of bullet proof glass.
• Every car would have a chasis that can handle a 10 cylinder diesel engine because you never know when you might need to scale that car's requirements and make it tow 5 tonne trailers.
• And if someone figured out a way to pick your car's locks you would have to recall every one of them for upgrades.

According to the HR director...

[stefanlasiewski]

I have been looking for a job for the last two months, and having dealt with several HR staff and recruiters, I can tell you that software engineering means you have an MCSE and can help the marketing director figure out how to get Powerpoint Presentation to "Open the internet".

It also has something to do with like .NET, Web Services and eXtreme Programming.

Re:Repeatability and Predictability

[Glonoinha]

>Software applications aren't experiments to be repeated.

No, we software engineers do not make the same mistake over and over. We make different mistakes each and every time.

Honestly though

[Glonoinha]

>What sets a 'Software Engineer' apart from the rest of the crowd?

A good start, of course, is a four year degree from the department of Engineering at an accredited university. BS Computer Science under the Department of Engineering. Not those wannabe MIS punks in the business college with their accounting and management classes, but pure hardcore unadulterated comp/sci classes including compiler design, queue theory, three semesters of calculus, two semesters of differential equations, some statistics, numerical methods, logic classes, maybe some physics (statics and dynamics) while they are at it.

Second, a touch of autism never hurts. Real hackers can read 700 page technical manuals over the course of a weekend and remember the location in the book of any topic.

Be able to express yourself in strange languages - real software engineers can think in incredibly abstract ways, seeing things in ways that others competely miss. See 'A Beautiful Mind' for more complete information. Real software engineers write recursive code, self modifying code, and can think in six dimensions without breaking a sweat.

Finally, the ability to empathize with the machine is essential. Feel what the computer is going through, understand why it is working or not working, understand where in the system the bottleneck is and fix it to make your computer all better.

Offer your employee his choice between a raise and a new computer and the software engineer will pick new hardware any day.