Software
engineers apply the principles of engineering to the design, development,
maintenance, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make
computers or anything containing software work.
Typical formal definitions of
software engineering are:
·
"the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the
development, operation, and maintenance of software".
·
"an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software
production"
·
"the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to
economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real
machines"
The term has been used less
formally:
·
as the informal contemporary term for the broad range of activities that
were formerly called computer programming and systems analysis;
·
as the broad term for all aspects of the practice of computer
programming, as opposed to the theory of computer programming, which
is called computer science;
·
as the term embodying the advocacy of a specific approach to computer
programming, one that urges that it be treated as an engineering discipline
rather than an art or a craft, and advocates the codification of recommended
practices.
Overview
Prior to the mid-1960s, software
practitioners called themselves computer programmers or software
developers, regardless of their actual jobs. Many people prefer to call
themselves software developer and programmer, because most
widely agree what these terms mean, while software engineer is still
being debated.
The term programmer has
often been used as a pejorative term to refer to those without the tools,
skills, education, or ethics to write good quality software. In response,
many practitioners called themselves software engineers to escape the
stigma attached to the word programmer. In many companies, the titles
programmer and software developer were changed to software
engineer, for many categories of programmers.
These terms cause confusion,
because some denied any differences (arguing that everyone does essentially
the same thing with software) while others use the terms to create a
difference (arguing the terms mean completely different jobs).
A
state of the art
In 2004, Keith Chapple of the U.
S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 760,840 software engineers holding
jobs in the U.S.; in the same period there were some 1.4 million
practitioners employed in the U.S. in all other engineering disciplines
combined. The label software engineer is used very liberally in the
corporate world. Very few of the practicing software engineers actually hold
Engineering degrees from accredited universities. In fact, according to the
Association for Computing Machinery, "most people who now function in the
U.S. as serious software engineers have degrees in computer science, not in
software engineering".
Regulatory classification
The use of the title "Software
Engineer" is protected by law in Iceland. Icelandic law state that a
permission must be obtained from the Minister of Industry, prior to use of
the title. The title is only awarded to those who have obtained a Master's
degree in Software Engineering from a recognised higher educational
institution.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics classifies computer software engineers as a subcategory of
"computer specialists", along with occupations such as computer scientist,
programmer, and network administrator. The BLS classifies all other
engineering disciplines, including computer hardware engineers, as
"engineers".
The U.K. has seen the alignment of
the Information Technology Professional and the Engineering Professionals.
Software engineering in Canada has
seen some contests in the courts over the use of the title "Software
Engineer". The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (C.C.P.E. or
"Engineers Canada") will not grant a "Professional Engineer" status/license
to anyone who has not completed a recognized academic engineering program
and gained at least the minimum amount of discipline-specific work
experience (typically four years of full-time work experience) required.
Engineers qualified outside Canada require a period of Canadian work
experience and must write equivalency exams to obtain their "Professional
Engineer" license. Since 2001, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board
has accredited several university programs in software engineering, allowing
graduates to apply for a professional engineering license once the other
prerequisites are obtained, although this does nothing to help IT
professionals using the title with degrees in other fields (such as computer
science or information systems).
Some of the states in the United
States regulate the use of terms such as "computer engineer" and even
"software engineer". These states include Texas and Florida. There is also a
new PE (Professional Engineer) exam beginning in April 2013 for Software
Engineering specifically as the process of tougher regulation moves forward.
Education
About half of all practitioners
today have degrees in computer science, information systems, or information
technology. A small, but growing, number of practitioners have software
engineering degrees. In 1987, Imperial College London introduced the first
three-year software engineering Bachelor's degree in the UK and the world;
in the following year, the University of Sheffield established a similar
program. In 1996, the Rochester Institute of Technology established the
first software engineering Bachelor's degree program in the United States,
however, it did not obtain ABET accreditation until 2003, the same time as
Rice University, Clarkson University, Milwaukee School of Engineering and
Mississippi State University obtained theirs. In 1997, PSG College of
Technology in Coimbatore, India was the first to start a five-year
integrated Master of Science degree in Software Engineering.
Since then, software engineering
undergraduate degrees have been established at many universities. A standard
international curriculum for undergraduate software engineering degrees was
recently defined by the CCSE. As of 2004, in the U.S., about 50 universities
offer software engineering degrees, which teach both computer science and
engineering principles and practices. The first software engineering
Master's degree was established at Seattle University in 1979. Since then
graduate software engineering degrees have been made available from many
more universities. Likewise in Canada, the Canadian Engineering
Accreditation Board (CEAB) of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
has recognized several software engineering programs.
In 1998, the US Naval Postgraduate
School (NPS) established the first doctorate program in Software Engineering
in the world. Additionally, many online advanced degrees in Software
Engineering have appeared such as the Master of Science in Software
Engineering (MSE) degree offered through the Computer Science and
Engineering Department at California State University, Fullerton. Steve
McConnell opines that because most universities teach computer science
rather than software engineering, there is a shortage of true software
engineers. ETS University and UQAM were mandated by IEEE to develop the
Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), which has become an ISO
standard describing the body of knowledge covered by a software engineer.
Other degrees
In business, some software
engineering practitioners have MIS or computer information systems degrees.
In embedded systems, some have electrical engineering, computer science with
emphasis in "embedded systems" or computer engineering degrees, because
embedded software often requires a detailed understanding of hardware. In
medical software, practitioners may have medical informatics, general
medical, or biology degrees.
Some practitioners have
mathematics, science, engineering, or technology degrees. Some have
philosophy (logic in particular) or other non-technical degrees. For
instance, Barry Boehm earned degrees in mathematics. And, others have no
degrees.
Profession
KTR
Employment
Most software engineers work as
employees or contractors. Software engineers work with businesses,
government agencies (civilian or military), and non-profit organizations.
Some software engineers work on their own as Consulting Software Engineers.
Some organizations have specialists to perform each of the tasks in the
software development process. Other organizations required software
engineers to do many or all of them. Entry-Level Software Engineer or
Associate Software Engineer may be best. Some companies offer Software
Engineer as an entry level position. In large projects, people may
specialize in only one role. In small projects, people may fill several or
all roles at the same time. Specializations include: in industry (analysts,
architects, developers, testers, technical support, managers) and in
academia (educators, researchers).
There is considerable debate over
the future employment prospects for Software Engineers and other IT
Professionals. For example, an online futures market called the Future of IT
Jobs in America attempts to answer whether there will be more IT jobs,
including software engineers, in 2012 than there were in 2002. Possible
opportunities for Advancement can be as a Software Engineer, then to a
Senior Software Engineer, or straight to a Senior Software Engineer,
depending on skills and reputation.
Work
Most Software Engineers work 37 to
40 hours per week. This job is office-based, and most of the work is done
during normal office hours, but can sometimes lead to working away and
working late or during weekends, depending on where and when the client is
situated. The job can also be done at home or anywhere a computer is set up.
Certification
Professional certification of
software engineers is a contentious issue. Some see it as a tool to improve
professional practice.
Most successful certification
programs in the software industry are oriented toward specific technologies,
and are managed by the vendors of these technologies. These certification
programs are tailored to the institutions that would employ people who use
these technologies.
The ACM had a professional
certification program in the early 1980s, which was discontinued due to lack
of interest. As of 2006, the IEEE had certified over 575 software
professionals. In Canada the Canadian Information Processing Society has
developed a legally recognized professional certification called Information
Systems Professional (ISP).
Impact of globalization
Many students in the developed
world have avoided degrees related to software engineering because of the
fear of offshore outsourcing (importing software products or services from
other countries) and of being displaced by foreign visa workers. Although government statistics do not currently show a threat to software
engineering itself; a related career, computer programming does appear to
have been affected. Often one is expected to start out as a computer
programmer before being promoted to software engineer. Thus, the career path
to software engineering may be rough, especially during recessions.
Some career counselors suggest a
student also focus on "people skills" and business skills rather than purely
technical skills because such "soft skills" are allegedly more difficult to
offshore. Reasonable command over reading;writing&speaking English is asked
by most of employers. It is the quasi-management aspects of software
engineering that appear to be what has kept it from being impacted by
globalization.
Prizes
There are several prizes in the
field of software engineering:
·
The CODiE awards is a yearly award issued by the Software and Information
Industry Association for excellence in software development within the
software industry.
·
Jolt Awards are awards in the software industry.
·
Stevens Award is a software engineering award given in memory of Wayne
Stevens.
Use of the title "Engineer"
Suitability of the term
Many people believe that software engineering implies a certain level of academic training,
professional discipline, adherence to formal processes, and especially legal
liability that often are not applied in cases of software development. A
common analogy is that working in construction does not make one a civil
engineer, and so writing code does not make one a software engineer. It is
disputed by some — in particular by the Canadian Professional Engineers
Ontario (PEO) body, that the field is not mature enough to warrant the title
"engineering". The PEO disputed that "software engineering" was not an
appropriate name for the field since those who practiced in the field and
called themselves "software engineers" were not properly licensed
professional engineers, and that they should therefore not be allowed to use
the name.
In 1978, a prominent computing
scientist, E. W. Dijkstra, wrote in a paper that the coining of the term software engineer was not useful since it was an inappropriate analogy,
"The existence of the mere term has been the base of a number of extremely
shallow—and false—analogies, which just confuse the issue...Computers are
such exceptional gadgets that there is good reason to assume that most
analogies with other disciplines are too shallow to be of any positive
value, are even so shallow that they are only confusing."
In each of the last few decades,
at least one radical new approach has entered the mainstream of software
development (e.g. Structured Programming, Object Orientation), implying that
the field is still changing too rapidly to be considered an engineering
discipline. Proponents argue that the supposedly radical new approaches are
evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Individual commentators have
disagreed sharply on how to define software engineering or its
legitimacy as an engineering discipline. David Parnas has said that software
engineering is, in fact, a form of engineering. Steve McConnell has said
that it is not, but that it should be. Donald Knuth has said that
programming is an art and a science. Edsger W. Dijkstra claimed that the
terms software engineering and software engineer have been
misused and should be considered harmful, particularly in the United States.
Regulatory classification
The U.K. has seen the alignment of
the Information Technology Professional and the Engineering Professionals.
In New Zealand, IPENZ, the
professional engineering organization entrusted by the New Zealand
government with legal power to license and regulate chartered engineers
(CPEng), recognizes software engineering as a legitimate branch of
professional engineering and accepts application of software engineers to
obtain chartered status provided he or she has a tertiary degree of approved
subjects. Software Engineering is included but Computer Science is normally
not.
In Canada, the use of the job
title "Engineer" is controlled in each province by self-regulating
professional engineering organizations, often aligned with geologists and
geophysicists, and tasked with enforcement of the governing legislation. The
intent is that any individual holding themselves out as an engineer (or
geologist or geophysicist) has been verified to have been educated to a
certain accredited level, and their professional practice is subject to a
code of ethics and peer scrutiny. This system was originally designed for
the practise of engineering where public safety is a concern, but extends to
other branches of engineering as well, including electronics and software.
Software engineering in Canada has seen some contests in the courts over the
use of the title "Software Engineer" The Canadian Council of Professional
Engineers (C.C.P.E. or "Engineers Canada") will not grant a "Professional
Engineer" status/license to anyone who has not completed a recognized
academic engineering program. Engineers qualified outside Canada are
similarly unable to obtain a "Professional Engineer" license. Since 2001,
the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board has accredited several
university programs in software engineering, allowing graduates to apply for
a professional engineering license once the other prerequisites are
obtained, although this does nothing to help IT professionals using the
title with degrees in other fields (such as computer science).
Some of the United States of
America regulate the use of terms such as "computer engineer" and even
"software engineer". These states include at least Texas and Florida. Texas
even goes so far as to ban anyone from writing any real-time code without an
engineering license. |