I think the last thing this world needs is programmers bringing their particular style of “””engineering””” to important things like bridges. Can’t wait to hear about the 5-9s of uptime on the Golden Gate.
Because programmers probably think it'll be a similar field, but it's different. It has correct and incorrect ways of doing things, strongly enforced. You're not inventing new shit, you're reapplying old shit constantly. Old shit that works.
Many think writing software is engineering, but it couldn't be further from the truth.
edit: to clarify, trying to get people to realize the grass isn't always greener, and both sides are better off for it.
Your comment feels unwarranted because other engineering professions have guardrails, because they recognize that people will die if they don't. Your comment is implying that a software engineer can simply apply their existing (lack of) guardrails when that's probably not the case.
No, my comment is implying that if you enjoy the relative freedom of writing software in new and interesting and novel ways, you probably will not enjoy copy-pasting buildings or bridges or whatever again and again and again.
People can easily die due to software, and there are still few (any?) regulations in almost every single industry, plus no way to assign accountability. If a bridge collapses, it's pretty simple to figure out whose fault it is.