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I think what people think when they hear "engineer" is, "someone who builds useful objects that are limited by technical constraints and/or expertise." As soft
by pixelmonkey 12y ago
I think what people think when they hear "engineer" is, "someone who builds useful objects that are limited by technical constraints and/or expertise."
As software engineers, we are constrained by software technology and knowledge of software and computer science / mathematics. This is similar to how civic engineers are limited by material technology and knowledge of materials and physics / mathematics. I actually think the analogy fits. I don't see what's wrong with it. However, I do agree that sometimes the "builder analogy" can be taken too far.
- tzs 12y ago> I think what people think when they hear "engineer" is, "someone who builds useful objects that are limited by technical constraints and/or expertise." That would also describe what many people think when they hear "technician" or "craftsman". There is overlap between engineers, technicians, and craftsmen. Wikipedia has a good description of where engineers fit in: "The work of engineers forms the link between scientific discoveries and their subsequent applications to human needs and quality of life". Here is what it says about technicians: "A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles". It describes a craftsman as a "skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative". I think most people who are described as "software engineers" are doing things that most closely match "technician".