[SIGCIS-Members] Programmer vs. coder vs. sofware developer vs. software engineer

[James Cortada]

Nathan is THE PERSON for your query.  You might also benefit from looking
at the sociological literature on professions, which is getting pretty
extensive right now.  It seems that "everyone" has been trying to upgrade
their titles since the 1870s, and even more so with c.v. inflation since
the 1990s.  Early on it was about legitimizing a new field in the eyes of
the academics, later it was for increasing salaries, so, titles matter in
many ways.  Jim Cortada

On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 4:51 PM Nathan Ensmenger <nathan.ensmenger at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Bill — I write quite a bit about the transition from coder —> programmer,
> and about the attempt to organize around the concept of software
> engineering in my book *The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers,
> Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise.*   I agree that
> titles matter.   Since most libraries are closed at the moment, I will send
> you the most relevant chapters in a separate email.
>
> -Nathan
>
> ---
> Nathan Ensmenger
> Chair, Informatics
> School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering
> Indiana University, Bloomington
> homes.soic.indiana.edu/nensmeng/
>
>
> On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 12:47 PM McMillan, William W <
> william.mcmillan at cuaa.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hello, SIGCIS folks.
>>
>> The ruminations below might have little scholarly importance, but I think
>> the subject is interesting at least in regard to the culture of computing.
>>
>> What do we call people who design and implement computer programs?
>>
>> Nowadays, the term coder is used, maybe most often. My understanding is
>> that this used to refer to the job of translating a detailed flow chart,
>> which was created by a programmer, into an implementation language. I.e.,
>> the coder was sort of like a human compiler who translated a detailed
>> algorithm into a computer language like Fortran, Cobol, or assembly
>> language. The coder didn't design algorithms.
>>
>> Later, the coder dropped out of the loop and a programmer implemented
>> algorithms directly in a computer language (possibly after creating a flow
>> chart or pseudo-code).
>>
>> The term software developer has been used, possibly implying that the job
>> is broader than just programming, including gathering requirements,
>> testing, and integration with existing systems.
>>
>> Starting in the late 1960s, the title software engineer became common. At
>> least initially, this implied a very broad scope, as well as specialized
>> training in requirements analysis, system design, programming style,
>> verification and validation, risk assessment, maintenance techniques, UI
>> design, and other aspects of software development. I believe that Texas
>> even licenses professional engineers in software engineering, and a
>> detailed curriculum has been defined:
>> https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/education/se2014.pdf
>>
>> The title software engineer implied that the person at least had a solid
>> university course specifically in software engineering, as well as a good
>> foundation in computer science or information systems.
>>
>> The term systems analyst sometimes implies a similar role, though it
>> might mean something more akin to requirements analysis.
>>
>> Currently, anyone who writes computer programs might identify as a
>> software engineer, even if he or she has no background beyond computer
>> programming. Companies use the title willy-nilly. This inflates the
>> prestige of the job, I suppose.
>>
>> At the same time, we call developers coders, which to me sounds like it
>> deflates prestige.
>>
>> What professionals call themselves does matter. If a medical assistant
>> calls himself a physician, the risks are obvious. If a physician (true
>> software engineer) calls herself a technician (coder), then at least
>> confusion results. Of course governments regulate the use of job titles in
>> medical professions, while software development as it exists today is very
>> libertarian.
>>
>> Has there been much consideration of the common use of job titles in the
>> history of computing? Certainly there's been a lot of work in the history
>> of software engineering, programming, systems analysis, etc., but I'm
>> asking about the use and misuse of job titles by individuals and
>> organizations.
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Bill
>>
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-- 
James W. Cortada
Senior Research Fellow
Charles Babbage Institute
University of Minnesota
jcortada at umn.edu
608-274-6382
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