Software engineering is a Profession and field of study dedicated to designing, implementing, and modifying software so that it is of higher quality, more affordable, maintainable, and faster to build.
Am I a Designer or Engineer?
I don't quite accept this argument as it's comparing chalk and cheese. Computer programs are very complex pieces of logic. In a bridge, the main load bearing members are well defined and the design takes into account the strength and thickness of the materials used. Any reasonable sized application may have ten thousand Branch points, so the number of execution paths through this application is a very large number. Testing all those paths is a difficult task.
How do I Stop my Software Killing Someone?
Manufacturers cannot build complex life-critical systems like aircraft, nuclear reactor controls, medical systems and expect the software to be thrown together. They require the whole process to be thoroughly managed, so that budgets can be estimated, staff recruited, and to minimize the risk of failure or expensive mistakes.
In safety critical areas such as aviation,space, nuclear power plants,medicine, fire detection systems, and roller coaster rides the cost of failure can be enormous as lives are at risk. A divide by zero error that brings down an aircraft is just not acceptable.
So it is Paper Work?
One distinguishing feature of Software Engineering is the paper trail that it produces. Designs have to be signed off by Managers and Technical Authorities all the way from top to bottom and the role of Quality Assurance is to check the paper trail. Many Software Engineers would admit that their job is around 70% paperwork and 30% code. It's a costly way to write software and this is why avionics in modern aircraft are so expensive.
Call Yourself an Engineer?
Note. In some parts of the world (and some U.S. States) you cannot call yourself a software engineer without a formal qualification.
Rohit soniji
