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by doublesCs 2214 days ago
What is the fundamental reason why a software engineer is expected to care about what feature he's building, whereas a plumber isn't? Is it due to how differently the two professions are viewed by society, or is there some intrinsic difference between the two professions?

(Just don't tell me it's because software engineers are "creative" whereas plumbers are mindless drones; when faced with a problem, a plumber has to propose solutions and evaluate trade-offs, same as an engineer)
2 comments
claudiulodro 2214 days ago
A plumbers' work basically always improves society.

A software developers' work sometimes improves society, sometimes harms society, and sometimes is a meaningless waste of time. Society encourages developers to use their judgement and ideally improve society.

At it's core, I think caring about the feature you're making is a judgement on whether you think the feature will improve the world or not.

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the_other 2214 days ago
You can probably list all the reasons for plumbing to exist. There’s a few, but they’re largely well documented and understood. Cleanliness, sustenance and comfort seem to be the main three. Of course there’s detail, nuance and special cases, but all within the scope of those three.

Software can help in more situations and hence gets prompted by a wider range of “why”. I doubt you could list all the reasons for software to exist before the heat death of the universe overtook you.

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