There's no difference at all, at least in the US. The two job titles are entirely synonymous. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is just lying to themselves to feel smarter.
Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
41–50 of 65 posts
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#42What sets the Engineer apart from the Developer for me is: * the engineer can work with other developers/engineers * the engineer writes code that is maintainable * the engineers code has an architecture * the engineer can find a solution to problems that don’t have a lib or stackoverflow entry In other words: A Developer is more likely to work on smaller codebases, most likely alone, that are comprised of known prob…
One thing you forgot: An Engineer is just like a Developer, but an Engineer read it online on Hacker News once that if you call yourself an Engineer, some people will automatically assume that your code is maintainable, you design your app better, and you don't need stackoverflow. The Engineer decided to change his/her title on LinkedIn (because nobody can actually check your real title). This Engineer (former Develo…
And then the engineer upgrades himself to a software architect!
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#43No official definition of either term and in actual usage they are used interchangeably. People love to pretend otherwise though
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#44In 20 years, I’ve never seen anyone prefer one over the other, except for self advancement.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#45Software engineer, software developer, architect, programmer, code monkey...
People may use them in different ways to make the job sound more or less impressive, but in the end none of them are well defined and in practice they more or less amount to the same thing.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#46In some jurisdictions like Canada, engineer is a regulated title. Similar to how you couldn't (I think/hope) call yourself a medical doctor or a lawyer in the states without an actual license.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#47The NSPE do not like random ppl calling themselves engineers. I went to an engineering school (for computer science) and everyone faculty and students was very particular about this. Some jurisdictions have legal requirements on calling yourself an engineer. The correct term is software developer. Some bigcos who are a juicy enough target for NSPE or government agencies have been reached out to, which is why we see t…
Which is funny because the first job, at least when I went to npse.org, was "software engineer" at Google. The job description says nothing about actually needing and engineering degree. (There's a Senior Software Engineer one from Chegg on there too).
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#48What sets the Engineer apart from the Developer for me is: * the engineer can work with other developers/engineers * the engineer writes code that is maintainable * the engineers code has an architecture * the engineer can find a solution to problems that don’t have a lib or stackoverflow entry In other words: A Developer is more likely to work on smaller codebases, most likely alone, that are comprised of known prob…
Couldn't we just say there are levels of quality of developer's output?
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#49They're used interchangeably but they probably shouldn't be. What characterizes engineering (in most disciplines) is the practice of modelling. An engineer knows exactly what they're going to build and knows exactly what characteristics it's going to have. At least, they know the ones that are knowable, and they're aware of the ones that aren't.
Do you evaluate solutions quantitatively, like "This solution will require n times more memory, and it'll run m times faster". Or "this is how many nodes we need to guarantee a typical latency of Or do you say "let's try this and see what happens"? The latter approach is very common in the software industry, but (thankfully) not in bridge-building or space exploration. So there ought to be terminology that distinguishes these practices from each other.
Re: Ask HN: Software Developer vs. Software Engineer
#50What sets the Engineer apart from the Developer for me is: * the engineer can work with other developers/engineers * the engineer writes code that is maintainable * the engineers code has an architecture * the engineer can find a solution to problems that don’t have a lib or stackoverflow entry In other words: A Developer is more likely to work on smaller codebases, most likely alone, that are comprised of known prob…
Not sure if this was for real. The distinctions you made could be applicable as well between experienced developers/engineers and non-experienced ones.
Engineer is just an HR term used exclusively by companies to hire and to classify employees.