[thanksforthe42]

Calling programmers "Engineers" is a misnomer.

I wish programmers had the prestige it deserved for combining Science, tradition, authority, and art.

Engineers are not allowed to use tradition, authority or art. They are restricted to being modern day calculators.

Nothing is wrong with either.

[csharptwdec19]

The shift from 'Developer/Programmer' to engineer has indeed been part of a push away from creativity towards cookie-cutter work.

An interesting analogue would be the Automotive industry; As time progressed, Companies focused more and more on 'engineering' versus art/tradition/etc. But as the industry evolved, "Flashy" vehicles that took risks became moreso either a halo product for a brand, or relegated to Luxury/Boutique.

And, of course, there was the dark side of this shift; A good example from the 70s, the level of 'engineering' driving the design of the vehicle and it's assembly didn't take into consideration the actual line worker; in Ohio the workers wound up getting overworked, burned out, and in some cases actively sabotaged the product, because they were being treated like automated machines.

[thanksforthe42]

I think that missed the point.

Engineers are applied scientists.

Programmers are not applied scientists.

[scrollaway]

Why does any of this matter?

[thanksforthe42]

Different expertise.

I'm guessing you are neither?

[scrollaway]

Incorrect guess, and it still doesn't really change anything. You're just playing with words. It's no more useful than a full thread arguing about a misspelling; Just pure noise.

Software engineering could learn a lot from, say, civil engineering. It could also learn a lot from interface design and I'm sure even microbiologists and astronauts could teach us a lot. Engineering is not special.