The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

Job Title for future career

I'm working at a nice software development company right now, and I've been given the option of putting :

Software Engineer
Software Developer
Programmer

on my business card and for my title. Right now, I handle all aspects of the development lifecycle from requirements/design to coding/writting install scripts, and in the future I want to lean toward the requriements/design, but not lose my edge in the coding aspect. I'm conserned that if I put programmer or software developer, I'll come across as a code monkey or someone who "just knows a programming language and programs what he's told to" roather I want to come across as someone who knows how to design and implement applications. Are there any thoughts on which job title I should choose? Thanks.

John Schmidt
Thursday, May 6, 2004

How about no title at all? Titles mean nothing. After all, they're free and nothing about being a "Lead Architect" stops them from making you take out the garbage ;-) Wory about something else ;-)

...
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Software Engineer is the best. . .

-but-

As an engineer, it is generally frowned upon to place the word Engineer after a title unless you are officially accredited. Since there is no accredited Software Engineering program _yet_ . . . Well I don't know where I was going with that. I guess some people will frown on you for calling yourself an engineer when they know you really aren't, although it's better than calling yourself a software engineer after there really is an accredited software engineering program out there.

Elephant
Thursday, May 6, 2004

I'd put "Software Engineer". That's what I have on my business card. Sounds better than the others, IMHO. :)

sid6581
Thursday, May 6, 2004

I have "Chief Bit Wrangler" on my business cards.

Chris Tavares
Thursday, May 6, 2004

In some jurisdictions (such as Ontario) it's illegal to call yourself and Engineer unless you are accredited with the appropriate organisation.

David Clayworth
Thursday, May 6, 2004

I finally settled on "Geek" myself. I had initially intended to use the old MTS title, but the boss figured no one except a geek would know what it meant.

I'll third the "Software Engineer". WE know that there is more to being a developer than coding, but most folks don't. At least with "Engineer" they get some sort of idea that it's not all about coding.

Steve Barbour
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Go with "Defenestration Minister".

Joe Blandy
Thursday, May 6, 2004

We hired a guy a few years ago that handed us a business card from his current/previous job that listed (I sh*t you not! ):

"Chief Code Layer"

The title on the card should have been our first clue.

He didn't last long.

Expensive mistake.

Lesson learned.

Sgt. Sausage
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Master Craftsman

Norrick
Thursday, May 6, 2004

From the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) website:

"PEO wrote to our company to say that we can’t call some of our employees engineers. We’ve been calling them engineers for years. Why do we have to change now? It is an offence under the Professional Engineers Act to allow your employees to use terms that might mislead thepublic into thinking that those employees are professional engineers. As part of its statutory mandate to protect the public, and to prevent such misconceptions, PEO has requested revision of such job titles as Project Engineer, Software Engineer, Technical Engineer or Junior Engineer, if the people using those titles are not licensed engineers."

As far as I am aware, the debate over software engineers has been raging for several years without any resolution. This isn't just an Ontario thing either.

See this article for example:

http://www.itbusiness.ca/index.asp?theaction=61&sid=48925

The PEO would dearly love to make it illegal to put "software engineer" on your card in Ontario, but I don't think this is yet the case. Obviously, you can't put "P.Eng" unless you hold a certified engineering degree - but that's different using the word "Engineer" in a software context.

Or so the last PEO rep I met told me, admittedly a couple of years ago.

Phibian
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Solutions Evangelist.

Ron
Thursday, May 6, 2004

There are accredited software engineering degrees. Atleast in Europe. I attend one.

Thursday, May 6, 2004

The last I heard on the issues of using the title "software engineer" in Texas (where I am) is that it is legal, as long as you don't claim to provide software engineering services to the public.

Big B
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Obfuscation Eschewer

Master of Time and Space

Dungeon Master (only if your address is "Mom's Basement")

Odeus Scrunt

Pants Model

Senior Annoyance Engineer

Troll

Philo
Thursday, May 6, 2004

So that's what SAE stands for. I always wondered.

MSHack
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Personally, I prefer "Code Monkey"

Bill Rushmore
Thursday, May 6, 2004

If anything with "engineer" is problematic in your jurisdiction, I'd go for Software Developer over Programmer because I think that it better encompasses the varied tasks that most of us face.

Bill Tomlinson
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Natural Resource

_
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Defender of the Faith

RP
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Given where you want to go, how about "Software Designer"

m
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Software Visionary

Freddy
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Elephant, you want to be more careful about listening to frustrated slide rule junkies. They have no right to stop you using the words you want. Being an engineer involves a lot more things than completing some sterile four year degree presented by wankers who've never developed serious software in their life.

> I guess some people will frown on you for calling yourself an engineer when they know you really aren't

Heaven help if these stupid little dicks start telling us what defines an engineer.

.
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Some derevation of Queen Elizabeth II's title:

"Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."

Something modest like that maybe?

Joe Blandy
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Back to Ontario, again, some time back Microsoft was threatened by the PEO for the "Engineer" designation in MCSE. Microsoft sent out letters to those holding the illustrious designation (yes, I'm one of them. It was easy enough and encouraged research into areas I would never have bothered with otherwise) telling them never to use the expanded version. Half a year or so later, presumably after Microsoft's lawyers found that the PEO was toothless or could easily be made toothless, they sent out another letter saying to go ahead and use Engineer.

So the long and short of it is that the PEO talks a lot louder than the powers they really wield.

Dennis Forbes
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Software Architect

Sounds impressive, while being completely vague <g>.

Mr. Analogy
Thursday, May 6, 2004

Vice-President of Software Lubrication

Developer Null

Director of Software Quality Removal

Lead Programmer & Paint Shop Supervisor

cpp dude

Chief Technology Dork

...also, my brother-in-law (Dentist) asked for a role in our small S/W company. He's now Chief Dental Officer.

dir at badblue com
Thursday, May 6, 2004