Software Engineer

A software engineer is in charge of assembling extensive amounts of code into working applications, as well as updating and fixing problems in existing software. A software engineer is also referred to as a programmer, because the main duties of asoftware engineer involve programming computers. Software engineering may be compared with computer science. While asoftware engineer works on actually developing working software solutions, a computer scientist focuses on the theoretical construct of software and hardware development.There is some debate over whether a software engineer should rather be referred to as a developer or programmer, because of connotations held by the term engineer. Many charge that software development is not held to the same rigorous and exacting standards as fields such as electrical engineering, and therefore should not be associated with other, more strict forms ofengineering. The title of software engineer, as a result of these controversies, is bestowed rather haphazardly. The industry itself has not yet come up with widely agreed upon practices for licensing software engineers —- something other engineeringdisciplines have —- and so even a person without formal training may be referred to as a software engineer.There are estimated to be over two-and-a-half million software engineers worldwide, a number less than, but rapidly approaching, that of traditional engineers. The role of software engineers in society is expanding as computers and their applications become more pervasive. Economically, socially and politically, computers are changing the world everywhere they reach, and softwareengineers are building the tools that drive that change
Only about one-half of software engineers in the industry hold a degree of some level in computer science, and less than five percent hold a degree specifically in software engineering. These numbers are growing, as the marketplace becomes more competitive and entry-level software engineers struggle to distinguish themselves. A number of graduate programs exist for both computer science and software engineering, as well, though these degrees are often acquired after some years of experience in the field.