There's no difference. Some people think that engineer is a special word because of industry regulations in some countries - if you don't live in one of those countries, this doesn't concern you at all. Developer and engineer mean the same thing when they have the "software" prefix. The whole "a software developer does x but a software engineer does y" smells of snotty gatekeeping.
Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
11–20 of 65 posts
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#12Unfortunately they are interchangeable in the industry.
Ideally engineer would require an engineering degree and encapsulate more engineering skills such as fault analysis, risk analysis / mitigation, requirement capture and traceability, design capture and verification, etc. Things that are done in traditional engineering capacity that is required in a regulated environment.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#13Pro tip: They really are making up their own job titles.
Nobody really cares, so long as you can do the job you claim to. If you say "software engineer" but can't do more than add jQuery plugins to a web form, they're going to politely tell you that the interview is over.
If your resume says "senior software engineer" and you apply for a job that just needs someone to add jQuery to a form, they aren't even going to call you.
So far as I'm concerned, the title only matters on your resume, and is just for getting the right kind of attention.
On a resume, "developer" is going to speak to lower and mid-level developer jobs, and "engineer" is going to be for jobs where you have to spend significant amounts of time designing systems that need to be maintained for a long time. If you think you're up for it, go ahead and use it. If you misrepresent yourself on your resume, you'll either not get the job, or you'll fail at the job when you get it, so it's up to you to get it right.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#14The only difference is in how smart you want to feel when you call yourself one over the other.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#15No post body was provided.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#16I once got asked this question by a technical recruiter in a phone call. I said I don't think there is a difference. She started explaining how Software Developer is someone who just codes and that's it, and Software Engineer is someone who understands business requirements and different constraints to come up with the best solution, and how their company is looking for Software Engineers like this. I almost wanted to hang up on the call. I understand the importance of going beyond "just coding", but titles vary by company.
Right now my title is "Software Development Engineer" so I basically have both. My previous contracts stated "Software Developer" or "Software Engineer" in the past, and it was the same job.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#17The only difference is in how smart you want to feel when you call yourself one over the other.
Developer is easier to pronounce and to spell than engineer for me. I guess life is well done.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funny, I actually am from Germany and it feels just as arbitrary.
May well be wrong about Germany then. I do know there are regular arguments here in the UK about the "Architect" title, the RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects) regularly sue people who call themselves Architects but don't have the qualification or aren't payed up members. This includes "software architects". People who work in building architecture but haven't got enough qualifications often call themsel…
Really? I've worked in small and large local and multinational companies in the UK - many people have an architect job title without any qualifications and it's never been a problem. It's not just "architect" on its own, there's usually some prefix like software/cloud/data/infrastructure/solutions architect.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#19There's no difference. Some people think that engineer is a special word because of industry regulations in some countries - if you don't live in one of those countries, this doesn't concern you at all. Developer and engineer mean the same thing when they have the "software" prefix. The whole "a software developer does x but a software engineer does y" smells of snotty gatekeeping.
I'm in Canada so the distinction does matter. I'm not allowed to call myself an engineer because I didn't do an engineering degree.
When interviewing candidates, I treat these as interchangeable.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funny, I actually am from Germany and it feels just as arbitrary.
May well be wrong about Germany then. I do know there are regular arguments here in the UK about the "Architect" title, the RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects) regularly sue people who call themselves Architects but don't have the qualification or aren't payed up members. This includes "software architects". People who work in building architecture but haven't got enough qualifications often call themsel…
I don’t think you are wrong about Engineer in Germany but it just doesn’t apply to software. If you go into classical engineering there are rules. For example you couldn’t call yourself a civil engineer (‘Bauingenieur’) in Germany. If you are outside of classical engineering fields nobody gives a shit. You could call your self a “culinary engineer” and nobody would care. Computer sience is usualy grouped with mathematics so it too falls outside of classical engineering. We as a group just LIKE to see what we are doing as engineering to differentiate us from those that "just code".