Are Programmers Engineers?

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Posted by timothy on Sunday March 30, 2003 @07:50AM from the let-the-french-academy-decide dept.

The Llama King writes "The Houston Chronicle has an interesting story about a debate in the Texas Legislature over whether programmers are really engineers. A quote: " 'It's one of the silliest issues we're having to deal with this session, but it's also one of the most important,' said Steven Kester, legislative director of the American Electronics Association, an organization of computer companies." Are you really an engineer? Or just a code-monkey?"

9 of 963 comments (clear)

Dubya by 0x7F · 2003-03-30 07:51 · Score: 5, Funny

"Texas is becoming a laughingstock of the global high-technology community," said Steve Taylor, director of corporate affairs for Applied Materials.

They said the same thing when our governer ran for President, but that turned out all right.

Well... sort of...
1. Re:Dubya by Anonymous Coward · 2003-03-30 08:38 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I Must be an engineer because Microsoft and Novell both say so! Take that Texas.
  
  Joe Carlson
  MCSE
  CNE
  
  http://www.darthvader.tv/modules.php?name=Han_So lo _Webcam
How To Start A Heated Debate by ackthpt · 2003-03-30 07:53 · Score: 5, Funny

1: Ask the question, "Are Programmers Engineers?" on a tech-oriented website.
2: Well... pretty much any other question, but No. 1 is the humdinger granddaddy of all waltzing in a minefield questions.
And just to get things started, "Yes."

--

A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
1. Re:How To Start A Heated Debate by Jester99 · 2003-03-30 09:38 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  So you wanna start a heated debate? Your way takes too much effort. I'll start one that'll get even hotter, with far less effort:
  
  vi.
  
  :)
Well... by Sayten241 · 2003-03-30 07:58 · Score: 4, Funny

If garabage collecters can be "sanitation engineers" and housewives can be "domestic engineers" then why the hell not programmers. =P
I can just see it now by LPetrazickis · 2003-03-30 08:07 · Score: 3, Funny

Programmers are now "Simian Engineers".:)

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Is this a sigs-optional kind of place? 'Cause I am totally down with that if you know what I mean.
An engineer... by megazoid81 · 2003-03-30 08:18 · Score: 5, Funny

Pessimist: "The glass is half-empty."
Optimist: "The glass is half-full."
Engineer: "The glass is twice as big as it needs to be."
Programmer: "Who cares? Just drink the free beer!"
Re:Neither ... by devphil · 2003-03-30 08:35 · Score: 3, Funny

Journeying from city to city looking for a job doesn't count.

(Okay, sorry, couldn't resist. I recognize the word, too, and I agree that this is a Good Thing To Be.)

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You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Re:You can call programmers engineers... by PhipleTroenix · 2003-03-31 00:27 · Score: 3, Funny

I had a professor who claimed anytime you had to append "science" to something it meant that it wasn't. Computer Sicence, Political Science, etc.

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When VPNs are outlawed, only outlaws have VPNs.