Are Programmers Engineers?
Another interesting article from Eric’s site. Are Programmers Engineers?
I always knew I was going to be an engineer when I was in highschool. I never knew what engineers really did, but I knew it was a field that combined all the things I was interested in. Once I got to University, I knew I was doing what I wanted to. It was actually a decision between engineering and fine arts. I chose engineering because I knew if I was faced with trying to be creative every day and use that creativity to put food on the table, I might end up on the street. I figured I’d stick with my more scientific interests and use the money from them to fund my artistic side.
After graduating, I did real engineering for 3 years, all the while trying to combine software with my work as much as possible. I’d always been a software guy, so whenever I could try to automate reports or create some software for data display, I’d do it. And more and more I moved into the software side until I made the crossover leap into the software field. I got my feet wet in a few software firms and did a lot of learning. Sure, I don’t know all the standard Comp-Sci algorithms or how to code in assembly, but when I do need to learn those things, I pick up a book and learn it. I think that is one of the differences between engineering and computer science. IMHO, I’m not sure if you could do that the other way around. I think engineering requires a different mindset at problem solving and a ton of practice at problems in broad areas.
There’s also the mindset and realization that in some of the work you do, you have the responsibility of human lives in your hands. That is why engineering is a licensed profession with liabilities. It makes me so crazy when I see people list their work title as an engineer when they don’t have an engineering license. It would be like someone calling themselves a doctor or a lawyer when they don’t have a medical degree or haven’t been called to the lawyers’ bar. It’s actually against the law in Canada to list yourself as an engineer if you don’t have your Professional Engineer (P.Eng) title. At my former engineering company, if we didn’t have a P.Eng, our titles were “Process Engineering” rather than “Process Engineer”. I know a lot of firms go by “Engineer in Training”. Think about this the next time you call yourself a Software Engineer. Or should it be Programmer or Software Developer? There is no disgrace in any of these titles - so why not use them properly. Would you call yourself a Doctor if you slapped a bandaid on youself? Call yourself a lawyer if you watched a lot of L.A Law and defended yourself at small claims court?
So maybe you’re asking, “Why did I switch to software”? I think I really enjoy the creative aspect of creating software. The excitement of starting with nothing and making software that does something…creating something “virtual” that is of use. It combines my 2 passions - the analytic thinking of engineering and the nature of creation from the artistic world. Do I miss the engineering work? You bet. Some days I yearn for the challenge of solving some large math problem, calculating the forces of a car rounding a corner at 87 km/h, figuring out the trajectory required for a space ship to orbit a planet so the gravitational pull will keep it from soaring further out into space. There are some days I even miss my old engineering job and I’d like to do some of that again for a short while.
I guess I better get off my soapbox, stop my spewing and fill out my forms for my P.Eng licence now. 