In your opinion, what is the difference between software engineer and software developer? The two seem interchangeable these days.

You graduate from one and works as the other.

Nothing really. Stupid titles. I use software engineer like my company does.

@rantsauce I always thought of engineer more like software architect or someone who builds tools for developers to use. Just blows my mind people learn HTML/CSS/A JS Framework and boom they're an "engineer".

@wackOverflow the world we live in. Nothing means anything anymore.

@rantsauce amen to that

Engineer automatically implies having a formal education and degree in engineering

@theabbie apparently not in the US

@theabbie Maybe 20 years ago it did. Not now.

I mostly use "programmer" title instead.

Engineer is a degree with received work permit number. Developer can be anyone. All these guys who's calling themselves engineer without education feels to me the same like wearing transparent glasses to look smart...

@blindXfish Depends on the location and their regulation I think.

@imaji Maybe it's not easy to differentiate in programming sector but lets say as electrician, will you allowed to some random person without right education as engineer and permit to design and implement a safety system? Otherwise from tomorrow I call myself doctor.

@wackOverflow @AlmondSauce Why would anyone call themselves an Engineer when they are not one? They might be more capable than actual engineers but still, it's a title.

You might be a brilliant programmer and perform better than Engineers, but, Computer Engineering is much more than just writing code. A Computer Engineer is trained to do anything that is possible with a computer, There is no way a self-learned person would know all of that.

@blindXfish Yeah. IT field, especially programming, has a lot of grey area which can easily claimed by anyone capable, maybe next time we need to re-categorize programming so it won't be inside engineering or science area, but more to a practical art. But it sounds like a black magic then.

@imaji Depends, on the risk factor of the job. Game maker can be artist but programmer of the traffic light system shouldn't I believe. :) - or maybe can in India, traffic light is only decorations there :D

@blindXfish Yeah, you're right. This title thing in some countries really being critical actually since it will affect the interview process and some C-levels themselves mostly talking about something they don't understand related with this title. : /

Nothing. It's what the company wants project about their IT departments. I'm an Engineer but whatever. I do DevOps, Architecture, Development, Review, mentoring, being mentored, interviewing, research and PoCs, and many more... and so do many of my coworkers.

What matters more is the product we're working on and making it better.

@lynkfox As long as you're not underpaid and your salary is enough for your family life, I think it's okay for being productive without role borders. I used to be that kind of guy, but everything changed when I have a family and already think about my child's education budget (pretty high if you want a good one here in my location). : /

@imaji the more I read rants here or just comments elsewhere the more I realize I'm at a great company. Unlimited PTO that really is Unlimited and isn't a scam by management. A more flat hierarchy and a lot of leeway to work horizontalally. Actual understanding of Agile, in the lack of deadlines and willingness by management to push deployment out if quality isnt there. True respect for my work/life balance, in that when I leave for the day, it's expected that I *dont* check my email.

Pay is only median for my area and exp, but ... well the grass isn't much greener elsewhere. And it's enough to support my family.

So, I'm Canadian, and in Canada, "Engineer" is a protected title (meaning you're not legally allowed to go around using it if you're not certified as an Engineer).

So, in Canada, we use "software developer" almost exclusively.

I've always seen them as interchangeable because of this. (Since if you go to the states a lot of people use "software engineer" for the same work.)

@YADU 100% would back something like this in the states.

@YADU same in most of europe, except Nederlands

@blindXfish honestly this is how it shoule be, otherwise we'll get the same thing we had with "Doctor".

In Canada as mentioned above:

An engineer has legal obligations and is part of an order or something similar which you pay yearly fees to. You cannot legally sign as an engineer without it. It's mainly used for government contracts.

A developer, most of the time, is an engineer by trade without the legal implications of being an engineer. Most people being developers have a bachelor in engineering or something similar at a minimal level... though that is not always the case.