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I'm not denying that programmers get paid a lot or that our taxes shouldn't be higher but it's a different situation from being a doctor or a lawyer. I have no

by jolux 5y ago

I'm not denying that programmers get paid a lot or that our taxes shouldn't be higher but it's a different situation from being a doctor or a lawyer. I have no degree and am entirely self-taught. I would not be able to practice law or medicine without getting one. However, I am a professional software engineer. Programmers get paid a lot because the market is extremely competitive. Doctors get paid a lot because healthcare in the US is essentially one massive cartel and incredibly inefficient as a result. In most countries, doctors and programmers make similar salaries.

mousepilot 5y ago
I think the term "software engineer" is sort of meaningless. I know someone who builds ssis packages and while he does know T-SQL, he is relatively unfamiliar with transactions, cannot describe how a balanced tree index works, and will not complete an SQL query without using "nolock". I have never seen him produce a working program in any dot net language, or for that matter any procedural language except maybe visual basic for applications (excel macros maybe). I think he tried to learn php but gave it up. He also calls himself a software engineer. He makes some good money tho, he's in management. I rarely see this with other engineering disciplines. Its always the computer programmers lol Just 2 cents from the peanut gallery!
- jolux 5y ago
  Sure, anyone can call themselves that, but if you give me a resume with only SQL on it and you want a programming job, I will definitely start asking about other languages and trying to gauge general experience. I don’t really care what you call me but I will call myself a software engineer because I have a depth of understanding in how to solve problems with software in a consistent way. I’ve always had an engineering mindset, I grew up in a family of engineers. It’s just the term I prefer.
  - mousepilot 5y ago
    ok fine, you're an engineer!

by jolux 5y ago

mousepilot 5y ago

I think the term "software engineer" is sort of meaningless. I know someone who builds ssis packages and while he does know T-SQL, he is relatively unfamiliar with transactions, cannot describe how a balanced tree index works, and will not complete an SQL query without using "nolock". I have never seen him produce a working program in any dot net language, or for that matter any procedural language except maybe visual basic for applications (excel macros maybe). I think he tried to learn php but gave it up. He also calls himself a software engineer. He makes some good money tho, he's in management. I rarely see this with other engineering disciplines. Its always the computer programmers lol Just 2 cents from the peanut gallery!

jolux 5y ago
Sure, anyone can call themselves that, but if you give me a resume with only SQL on it and you want a programming job, I will definitely start asking about other languages and trying to gauge general experience. I don’t really care what you call me but I will call myself a software engineer because I have a depth of understanding in how to solve problems with software in a consistent way. I’ve always had an engineering mindset, I grew up in a family of engineers. It’s just the term I prefer.
- mousepilot 5y ago
  ok fine, you're an engineer!