I've done it a few times in my career. A lot of people build domain specific languages or compilers or translators or assemblers. Compilers and related theory i

I've done it a few times in my career. A lot of people build domain specific languages or compilers or translators or assemblers. Compilers and related theory is often covered in a CS degree curriculum. I didn't say replicating off the top of your head. The blog post is meant as parody. I'm not suggesting someone should be asked to design a language in an interview though maybe some questions on the topic might be ok for some specific roles. A mechanical engineer is not a material scientist or a metallurgist but they're definitely educated on the topic of materials. They need to choose the right alloy or material for their designs and understand its properties, they need to select vendors and understand the relevant processes. They're not as specialized but that have some base understanding and the capability to dive in if needed. That's I think what a software engineer needs to have as well. A car mechanic doesn't have those and that's fine. I don't think this is elitist. There needs to be some distinction between people at different levels and capabilities. I'm not saying a car mechanic isn't capable of being a mechanical engineer. They can even become the equal or better through self study. But replacing an alternator isn't the same thing as designing the alternator. EDIT: And just to be clear, I wasn't trying to be personal there. The reality of life is that lots of people that work on software call themselves (and companies call them) software engineers.