SW industry lacks clear terms for proficiency levels and different skills. Programmer, developer, SW engineer, etc. are all interchangeable. In other professi

SW industry lacks clear terms for proficiency levels and different skills. Programmer, developer, SW engineer, etc. are all interchangeable. In other professions, you can distinguish between, say mechanic/technician and mechanical engineer. The author of this piece seems like a very experienced good "software mechanic". He can work independently and build stuff, but he is not a "software engineer". "always used ORM", not skilled in SQL is an indicator of narrow knowledge based on just completing tasks and learning by doing. That's fine but it also sets some limits. He could find a well-paying job and interesting work if he would not have to apply for every vaguely defined SW job there is.