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Poll: Does the use of the word 'engineer' instead of 'developer' frustrate you?

7 points by Peroni ↗ HN
Recently I've noticed a surprisingly large number of developers becoming increasingly annoyed at the use of ‘engineer’ in place of ‘developer'. The argument usually centres around the idea that the title of 'engineer' for a developer is self-aggrandizing.

Keen to hear HN's perspective.

2 comments

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richardjdare
I'm British, so the word "engineer" makes me think of someone in an oil-stained boiler suit toiling away in the bowels of a factory or a 1970s bus depot :) The word feels dreary and uncreative.

(I know its inaccurate - "engineer" derives from "ingenious" - it just doesn't have that meaning for me, probably the result of the dismally low expectations of an 80s-90s working class education where "engineering" = factory drudgery)

"Computer Programmer" feels sharp, slick and clever like an 80s new wave music video, while "Developer" makes me think of someone who uses a Mac and appreciates graphic design.

I just call myself a "programmer" most of the time. Its funny how we pick up these connotations...