6 ms·

This should apply to anyone. IMO engineers aren't special. As a human you should try not to fuck over other people.

creato 4y ago
I assume this is a reference to other engineering disciplines, where an engineer signing off on something has real meaning.
- galaxyLogic 4y ago
  Right, "software engineer" is often used just as a synonym for "Programmer". That's just how the industry is, currently. There are no regulations as to who can develop what software as far as I know. Whereas there are for who can design a bridge, act as your lawyer, or prescribe you medicine.
  - mitjam 4y ago
    Yes and when we as software engineers / programmers act as if we don‘t care we should not be surprised if software engineering / programming gets regulated, too.
    - galaxyLogic 4y ago
      Right
- School-Cotton 4y ago
  People gatekeeping the word “engineer” is a bit annoying, since the word “engineer” dates to at least 1380 and originally just means someone who works on engines. “Engineer” as a legally super special class of job is a thing that came much later and only ever applied to certain jurisdictions anyway. “Software engineer” is just a synonym for “programmer”, in the actually existing practice of the English language.
  - oesexe 4y ago
    In Denmark you need to hold a degree of engineering for you to call you an engineer of any kind. It's a protected term. As I remember, in the US it is not protected and anyone can call themselves engineers.
    - tiahura 4y ago
      It varies by state.
  - Eisenstein 4y ago
    And 'doctor' means someone with a PhD. I know a lot of doctors. However, when you talk about medicine, we mean 'Doctor' with an M.D. and they are literally held to higher standards of ethics and liability. They are licensed and people who practice professionally without a license are subject to legal ramifications. Call yourself whatever you want, but that doesn't mean you get to define what 'Engineers' are and what ethics they are bound to. Just because you use the term in your title and say it is used properly in English, doesn't mean that you won't get treated any different than someone with a PhD demanding to be called Doctor and pretending there is no difference between them an and M.D.
    - School-Cotton 4y ago
      Of course the word “doctor” means different things, just like “engineer”. The OP is the one who was trying to conflate them. It’s like if you told someone with a PhD in CS “if you want to be called ‘doctor’, you had better be able to heal sick people”.

I assume this is a reference to other engineering disciplines, where an engineer signing off on something has real meaning.

galaxyLogic 4y ago
Right, "software engineer" is often used just as a synonym for "Programmer". That's just how the industry is, currently. There are no regulations as to who can develop what software as far as I know. Whereas there are for who can design a bridge, act as your lawyer, or prescribe you medicine.
- mitjam 4y ago
  Yes and when we as software engineers / programmers act as if we don‘t care we should not be surprised if software engineering / programming gets regulated, too.
  - galaxyLogic 4y ago
    Right
School-Cotton 4y ago
People gatekeeping the word “engineer” is a bit annoying, since the word “engineer” dates to at least 1380 and originally just means someone who works on engines. “Engineer” as a legally super special class of job is a thing that came much later and only ever applied to certain jurisdictions anyway. “Software engineer” is just a synonym for “programmer”, in the actually existing practice of the English language.
- oesexe 4y ago
  In Denmark you need to hold a degree of engineering for you to call you an engineer of any kind. It's a protected term. As I remember, in the US it is not protected and anyone can call themselves engineers.
  - tiahura 4y ago
    It varies by state.
- Eisenstein 4y ago
  And 'doctor' means someone with a PhD. I know a lot of doctors. However, when you talk about medicine, we mean 'Doctor' with an M.D. and they are literally held to higher standards of ethics and liability. They are licensed and people who practice professionally without a license are subject to legal ramifications. Call yourself whatever you want, but that doesn't mean you get to define what 'Engineers' are and what ethics they are bound to. Just because you use the term in your title and say it is used properly in English, doesn't mean that you won't get treated any different than someone with a PhD demanding to be called Doctor and pretending there is no difference between them an and M.D.
  - School-Cotton 4y ago
    Of course the word “doctor” means different things, just like “engineer”. The OP is the one who was trying to conflate them. It’s like if you told someone with a PhD in CS “if you want to be called ‘doctor’, you had better be able to heal sick people”.