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I'd rather be a dog. So what if I do know some discrete math and I do know what it means for a language to have a formal semantics? Does that make me an above a

• MaxBarraclough 5y ago
  > So what if I do know some discrete math and I do know what it means for a language to have a formal semantics? We were discussing whether the average software developer can be said to 'do math' in the sense that aeronautical engineers do. I think it's plain that the answer is no. Whether it matters is another topic. As I said above, in terms of market forces, it's fine that most software developers go their whole careers doing no proper math. It's also true that some highly skilled software professionals are expert in the relevant math. As to Are software developers engineers?, I hope it's uncontroversial to say Some of them are, some of them aren't. What's less clear, and less obvious, is where the bar should be set. Personally I consider only a small minority of software development work to be anywhere near engineering, but like the article notes, I don't have experience in any 'conventional' engineering field. Given that router-installation technicians are called engineers these days, software isn't alone in its collision with the word.