Jeffrey J. Nonken on Tue, 17 Jun 2003 11:16:04 -0400


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Re: [PLUG] Web developer job opening


On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 10:16:30 -0400, Kyle R. Burton wrote:
>Where lies the division between 'software engineer' and 
'programmer'?

I think it's supposed to be similar to the division between "hardware 
engineer" and "technician." It has to do with how much you are 
involved in the planning and design.

Some countries require you to certify before you can call yourself a 
software engineer. The US does not.

Seems to me I recently read an article or short note regarding 
software engineers in Texas. Apparently the TX government is being 
hostile towards people claiming to be software engineers despite not 
having passed Texas' certifications; looks like TX actually requires 
their engineers to be certified. Unfortunately, while they're 
threatening prosecution of non-certified software engineers, they 
aren't offering a certification process for software engineers.

Sounds typical.

Over the last couple decades I've billed myself as an "embedded 
software engineer." It has to do with the kinds of design work and 
problem-solving I do in the normal course of my job. It also 
(according to one headhunter moving to a new area) seems to be fairly 
typical of embedded software people to consider themselves 
"engineers" and not "programmers."

On the other hand, recently I've seen a spate of ads for "software 
engineers" that were for web programmers, maybe working with web 
databases or some such. It's a bit disconcerting, as I usually 
consider "software engineer" to be more of a systems-level or 
embedded-level position than a web applications position.

But what do I know? I can't get hired as an embedded software 
engineer. Maybe I'm just out of touch.

The state just sent a notice saying I might be eligible for a 
temporary extention on my unemployment benefits. Frankly, I'd rather 
be working.

I need a frigging JOB, dammit.



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