On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:16 PM, Daniel C. wrote:
So, I've been wondering - how *does* one become a software engineer?
Note that I'm talking about a real, actual engineer here - not just
someone with a degree in computer science. If you're considering
responding with "I'm a software engineer, I just picked up a book and
taught myself <language>", please stop now and read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_engineer
Anyone?
I read through that when you last pointed it out. You probably
noticed, but the IT-related section was very Canada-specific.
Apparently you can get in trouble calling yourself a software
engineer in Canada. In the US, however, everyone realizes that a
'Software Engineer' is not the same thing as a 'Professional
Engineer' and we all just deal with it without making too much of a
fuss, except sometimes when it comes to naming degree programs at
colleges.
As Mr. Ed has already pointed out, software is a very, very young
discipline when compared with engineering. People have been building
material things for thousands of years, but have only been
programming computers for a matter of decades. It's no surprise that
there's no governing body that defines what it takes to be a real
software engineer, because there's no consensus yet that we even know
the answer. It's an optimistic title, to be sure, and one that will
certainly change with time. But I'm glad it exists, and that people
are working on the principles and practices that may eventually turn
software into a branch of professional engineering.
I'm also fairly sure that when that happens, I'll be either long dead
or interested in some younger field, where the answers haven't all
been found yet. Although I hope for Software Engineering to someday
grow up to be a true peer of its Engineering namesakes, I believe it
will only do so through the advances of Computer Science, and that's
where my interest lies.
--Levi
/*
PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net
Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug
Don't fear the penguin.
*/
