There isn't any consistency in the industry and any attempts to find some are doomed to failure. The IEEE takes a fairly hard-line approach to the difference b

There isn't any consistency in the industry and any attempts to find some are doomed to failure. The IEEE takes a fairly hard-line approach to the difference between "software engineers" and "software developers" or "programmers". (Here is one characteristic article: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/buildyourcareer/careerwatch/jt15 http://www.computer.org/portal/web/buildyourcareer/careerwat... ) They are one of the few groups that actually feel that way, though. I sympathize with the concept, but, in reality, our field is still so new that I think everyone is still trying to figure out what it is. I personally feel that it currently falls squarely in the "craftsman" domain, but that may change to "engineer" as our field and techniques become more refined -- but it may not. Having a brief exposure to formal methods in software development, I feel that we are a long way from the sort of rigorous analytical design that accompanies traditional engineering. That said, we may not even need it except for in very specific domains (aircraft control, health systems, etc). So, in answer to your question, there are bigger differences between what you do at one company to the next in the industry than there is between titles. One "software engineer" may do the same thing as a "web developer" at another company. Some companies have well defined roles, some are more jack-of-all-trades-style roles.