3 ms·
Poll: Does the use of the word 'engineer' instead of 'developer' frustrate you?
Recently I've noticed a surprisingly large number of developers becoming increasingly annoyed at the use of ‘engineer’ in place of ‘developer'. The argument usually centres around the idea that the title of 'engineer' for a developer is self-aggrandizing.
Keen to hear HN's perspective.
- richardjdare 11y agoI'm British, so the word "engineer" makes me think of someone in an oil-stained boiler suit toiling away in the bowels of a factory or a 1970s bus depot :) The word feels dreary and uncreative. (I know its inaccurate - "engineer" derives from "ingenious" - it just doesn't have that meaning for me, probably the result of the dismally low expectations of an 80s-90s working class education where "engineering" = factory drudgery) "Computer Programmer" feels sharp, slick and clever like an 80s new wave music video, while "Developer" makes me think of someone who uses a Mac and appreciates graphic design. I just call myself a "programmer" most of the time. Its funny how we pick up these connotations...
- Peroni 11y agoI live and work in London and have a similar view to you but suspected there may be a significant regional variance hence why I'm asking on HN. I have a twitter poll running currently (same question) and the results are quite interesting: https://twitter.com/steviebuckley/status/664377122622976000 https://twitter.com/steviebuckley/status/664377122622976000