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Software Engineers Ranked Best Job in America
fistfullast33l writes "CNNMoney and Salary.com have ranked the title of Software Engineer the best job in America. Computer IT Analyst also ranks 7th on the list, placing both technology positions in the top 10. From the article: "Designing, developing and testing computer programs requires some pretty advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability. If you've got them, though, you can work and live where you want: Telecommuting is quickly becoming widespread.""
I realize that this site is mainly geared towards system adminstrators and other professionals who change passwords and plug PCs in for real programmers, so it's probably the wrong place to say this. But being a programmer just seems like a much more enjoyable line of work than babysitting servers all day long.
You're not going to get hammered. It was just the most idiotic question. The thought that you have to have a degree in order to be an engineer is ridiculous. I don't have a degree and don't need one. My IQ is hovering around 138 and I'm a self taught software engineer/computer engineer. That means I can talk to you about pointers, linked lists, double linked lists, inheritance, polymorphism, etc etc. I constantly sit in meetings with PhD's and converse at the same level about all topics including design, architecture, and problem resolutions. BTW, I'm 33 and have been making 6 figures since 1999 (yes even during the dot bomb). While most "computer engineers" were looking for jobs. Those who require other people to have a degree to achieve some title or status are most likely highly insecure about their own intelligence and comprehension of complex systems. You should re-evaluate your process of identifying who is or is not a software engineer. To answer your questions, computer engineering is very different than civil engineering. A decent computer can be bought for a few hundred dollars. All the tools you need are open source and available with an internet connection. So, clearly you can teach yourself how to be a computer engineer with minimal resources and alot of time (being an insomniac helps). I would guess that to teach yourself how to be a civil engineer would require many thousnds of dollars worth of equipment/tools/software/supplies. This could be a barrier for those not fortunate enough to be born into money or who simply couldn't afford to go to college.