[Discuss] Programming vs Engineering

[jack at coats.org (Jack Coats)]

In all this, I would like to see Engineers and Architects be licensed
individuals, controlled by regulatory boards.

IMHO, the terms 'software engineer' and 'software architect' should be
banned, and replaced with the
'old school' terms of programmers and analysts.

There is noting wrong with the old terms, but by making the 'new
titles' sound like licensed professionals,
it just cheapens both the professional terms, and the professions of
software professionals.

I'm at the end of my career, so it is no skin off my back.  But I am
proud to be a programmer, an
analyst, and sysadmin at different parts of my careers.

HR puts some artificial terms on many 'professional titles', but they
too are part of the problem.
Human Resources are just like 'Toilet Resource Providers'.  They used
to be called
'Personnel Departments' before the more dehumanizing 'Human Resources'
title became
popular after someone read one to many management studies from the
Harvard MBA diploma mill.
At the same time, shorter term perspectives became popular in
management (what have you
done for me this quarter), became the norm.  Human Resources, IMHO, was a way to
systematically remove any human element from management decisions.  It
may be better
for the short term bottom line, but long term, I think society
(including the investors) loose.

Somehow, common sense isn't so common anymore.

... Grumpy, dropping out of the conversations for now...