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And people wonder why software quality is going downhill. Of course a Software engineer is paid to write code - if they're not, you probably want a different p

And people wonder why software quality is going downhill. Of course a Software engineer is paid to write code - if they're not, you probably want a different person. Maybe we need a new job title: "Business Value Expander" Requirements: Glue together everything else that's already been written by other people, and make the business rich. What could possibly go wrong.

collyw 10y ago
Its more likely to be going downhill because everyone is jumping on the latest hipster bandwagon. NoSQL is a perfect example where many people / projects would be far better off learning about how to use a relation database efficiently rather than adding a new trendy tech to their CV while having limited experience in that new database (most of the projects I hear about are storing their data on a single server).
ThalesX 10y ago
I'm not really sure what they are paying me for anymore. I do analysis, planning, testing, development, client presentations and when I raise this concern with my TL I always get the 'cross-functional team' argument.
- mobiuscog 10y ago
  It seems that Software Engineer (or Analyst Programmer, etc.) are being lost as professions, and becoming 'careers'. You just do everything you're asked to, in order that the business makes money - code ? Meh, anyone can do that. How many other professions suffer the need to be 'cross-functional' ?
ex_amazon_sde 10y ago
> And people wonder why software quality is going downhill. Quite the opposite! Most of the poor quality is due to excessive complexity, little care for reliability, use of too many libraries and frameworks of questionable quality. All of this comes from the idea that a developer is paid to write code. A lot of strong engineers that I met in Amazon and elsewhere would use the minimum amount of code and libraries required and spend as much time reducing complexity and deleting other people code as writing new code.
gaius 10y ago
Maybe we need a new job title: "Business Value Expander" The "full stack developers" have got it covered

collyw 10y ago

Its more likely to be going downhill because everyone is jumping on the latest hipster bandwagon. NoSQL is a perfect example where many people / projects would be far better off learning about how to use a relation database efficiently rather than adding a new trendy tech to their CV while having limited experience in that new database (most of the projects I hear about are storing their data on a single server).

ThalesX 10y ago

I'm not really sure what they are paying me for anymore. I do analysis, planning, testing, development, client presentations and when I raise this concern with my TL I always get the 'cross-functional team' argument.

mobiuscog 10y ago
It seems that Software Engineer (or Analyst Programmer, etc.) are being lost as professions, and becoming 'careers'. You just do everything you're asked to, in order that the business makes money - code ? Meh, anyone can do that. How many other professions suffer the need to be 'cross-functional' ?

ex_amazon_sde 10y ago

> And people wonder why software quality is going downhill. Quite the opposite! Most of the poor quality is due to excessive complexity, little care for reliability, use of too many libraries and frameworks of questionable quality. All of this comes from the idea that a developer is paid to write code. A lot of strong engineers that I met in Amazon and elsewhere would use the minimum amount of code and libraries required and spend as much time reducing complexity and deleting other people code as writing new code.

gaius 10y ago

Maybe we need a new job title: "Business Value Expander" The "full stack developers" have got it covered