Ask HN: I call myself a "computer programmer", how about you? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I call myself a "computer programmer", how about you?

6 pointsrwmj11 comments

When I'm asked the "what do you do" question, and also on official documents, I call myself a computer programmer. Not a "software engineer", not "IT", not "computer scientist".

I do this because I think it reflects what we do. And what we don't do. I wouldn't trust us to build bridges and buildings like real civil engineers. Very few of us are discovering new theories about the world like scientists.

What do you call yourself?

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I stick with "Developer", if only because programming is maybe half of what I call work these days: requirements gathering, UX research, wireframing, etc.

"Developer" or "Hacker" depending on the context.

In some places it is actually illegal or something to call yourself an 'Engineer' unless you have been licensed by a certifying board. Ontario in Canada is one such place apparently: http://www.peo.on.ca/enforcement/Software_engineering_page.h...

I asked some non-programmers about this recently and they all said that "software engineer" sounds professional and they know what it means. "Computer programmer" sounds very old fashioned to them.

If anyone thinks that I work in "IT" after I tell them I'm a software engineer, I stop talking to them.

When somebody asks me to help them with their computer ("you're good with computers, right?"), I like to say that this is like asking an architect to fix your leaking roof.

I tend to view "software engineer" as having a more enterprisey connotation. Sort of hints at architecture and workflow-- Agile, UML, capabilities models, JavaBeans, design patterns, etc. So I'd apply it to some programmers/developers/engineers, but not as a general term for all. Admittedly, that might just be because when I think "software engineer", I immediately think of the research area of Software Engineering, which emphasizes those subjects, so non-programmers might not hear the same connotations.

If the term has any connotation, I think it's more an emphasis on best practices, especially things that help programmers work together: version control, continuous integration, bug tracking, API documentation, etc.

Depending on the context, I call myself either "software engineer" because it's my job title, "software developer" because it's closest in meaning to what I do, or "computer programmer" if I'm talking to someone with no background in technology.

Depends on the person I'm talking to:

  "Software Engineer" - Business folks
  "Developer" - Friends, programmers, most other situations
  "I build websites" - anyone in a bar (usually end up yelling this to be heard)

Generally, I say "software engineer". Depending on the context I might say "software guy" or "entrepreneur".

Do you come up with the algorithms, or do you only implement the algorithms? If your case is the latter, I agree with your preference for simply "computer programmer" as your job title. If you generate ideas as well, though, in addition to implementing them, I think that involves doing a lot more that simply programming computers.

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