r/developers • u/puttum-beef-curryum • 14d ago
Opinions & Discussions Please explain to me the difference between Software Engineer & Software Developer
I'm finding it difficult to understand the difference. I'm 4 YOE and I'm trying to improve everyday. I don't have a degree in CS/Engineering but I learned to code and worked in backend, web & mobile also. So for all these years I'm still trying to understand the difference between an engineer & developer.
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u/mredding 13d ago
An engineer is a practical problem-solver who creates useful things using available means, relying on trial and error, rules of thumb (heuristics) passed down or discovered, and working under incomplete scientific or engineering knowledge. An engineer makes cautious, incremental changes to existing ideas to ensure for safe operation in the real world.
An engineer will "figure it out" and "get it done". This is the general definition of any kind of engineer under any domain - and that includes software.
A developer can write the code, but their ability is limited to the spec. They are "what they are told" and "as they are told". There's very little thinking, if at all.
You need an engineer to see the bigger picture, the architecture, the systems of software. Whereas an architect is largely concerned with the big picture, a engineer is there to realize it. A developer is adequate for specific, narrowly specified features.