From the Wikipedia article on Engineer [1]: > Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build, and test machin

From the Wikipedia article on Engineer [1]: > Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build, and test machines, systems, structures and materials to fulfill objectives and requirements while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost This fits a lot of software development (esp. "systems"). The process of developing software is an engineering process, not a mathematical or design process, so it makes sense to use the term "engineer". However, I wouldn't use the term for all programmers, as not all programming does the full process. In any case, the term "engineer" is very vague and has broadened significantly over time, whereas terms like lawyer and physician have stayed pretty consistent. - [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer