In some fields, like developing avionics or medical systems, "software engineers" deal with formal system requirements, intense software verification & certific

In some fields, like developing avionics or medical systems, "software engineers" deal with formal system requirements, intense software verification & certification, maintaining traceability and accountability... I do not see how this is not "real" engineering on level with building bridges and constructing skyscrapers. The artifacts may be digital, but the work involved is similar. In my own bubble of reality, if you can point to a design document for your software project that explains what goals your project will meet, what implementation decisions you made and why, and enough architectural information for someone new to your project to have a good chance of jumping in and helping to carry the vision (and fix the bugs), I'd be inclined to think of that as software engineering. Whereas if you drank some Jolt and hammered out some code off the top of your head, I might not be inclined to think of that as software engineering. And of course, there's a whole spectrum of project styles in between.