[nicktorba]

The reason it is easier for programmers to transform into software engineers is the same reason we are having this conversation. For the most part, I think this is because software is so cheap and accessible. Anyone can become a software artisan with just a laptop and time. For traditional engineering, you need resources. Here's a quote from the second post: "When it comes to things like making circuit boards, it’s pretty common for things not to work the first time. You have to do it again, and you have to send it out to the factory and do it again. You know it costs you another however many £1000 and another two weeks on the schedule. -Mike (electrical)"

If building software was expensive like engineering in the physical world, we wouldn't have to have this argument. It's too bad that physical engineering is so expensive, because we'd probably have a lot more people trying it out.