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I've recently started defining my skill set as an engineer rather than a developer. The difference, to me at least, is one of execution vs implementation. Imple

I've recently started defining my skill set as an engineer rather than a developer. The difference, to me at least, is one of execution vs implementation. Implementation can be done by a good Googler. Execution requires good communication, recognizing and challenging assumptions, making worthwhile tradeoffs, etc. It's been a little bizarre to see how this focus has changed my development. I sit in on team discussions about coding style and design patterns and find it quite uninteresting. I code as much as the next person on the team, so I'm not aspiring to be an ivory tower architect or anything, but I find weighing in on engineering decisions adds far greater value.

turaw 10y ago
For comparison, I would normally define an 'x' developer (depending on specialty) as anyone who writes code and a software engineer as a developer whose job description involves engineering, per the American Engineers' Council for Professional Development [1]: "The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation or safety to life and property." In my ideal world, every developer would do what you're describing as engineering, and the software engineers would be those who far exceed those requirements.