Developer vs Programmer vs Engineer vs Coder vs….
Which job title should I use?
If you are familiar with the following terms:
- try-catch,
- sudo,
- for loop,
- strongly typed,
- enum,
- camelCase, and
- Pokémon Exception Handling, (ok maybe not this one)
then, we probably do something similar at work.
If that is so, how do you answer the question “what do you do for a living?”
Some people simply use title from their employment contract: Full Stack Software Engineer, Intermediate Product Developer, or Software Architect. But the lay person doesn’t usually know what any of that really means.
Regulatory concerns notwithstanding, choosing what you call yourself can have a significant impact on how others perceive your day to day tasks at work. Surely, we can describe those tasks easily (eg. staring at dark themed text editors, hitting compile over and over again, and argue over semicolons) but it’s harder to give ourselves a concise but descriptive job title.
In this article, I will explore different common job titles, each with their own unique connotations and meanings. Then, I’ll give my suggestion on what you call yourself when making small talk in social gatherings.
Software Developer
This is the most common and widely used job title in the software development industry.
It is descriptive, accurate, and relatively easy to understand. However, I find this title a tad bit too long and in need of abbreviation.
Developer
Many software developers abbreviate their job title to simply “developer” to save time and effort.
While within the tech world, this is an accepted term, it can become ambiguous outside of that context. One still ought to clarify what type of developer they are (e.g. web developer, mobile app developer).
Web Developer
Many developers of the web persuasion like to call themselves web developers. As a web developer myself, I can imagine myself with this accepted title. However, it still does feel ambiguous.
To this title, I have heard responses like:
what’s the difference between what you do and making websites on Wordpress?*
And in some sense, yes, making a website with a platform like WordPress IS web development. Still, calling a web application developer a web developer fails to emphasize our expertise in making web apps (or in writing code, for that matter).
*My favorite rebuttal to this is “Can you make Netflix on WordPress**?”
Coder
This is the shortest way to describe our work. After all, code often is our finished product.
However, it is not our only work, as coding is just one aspect of the software development process that we participate in. Coding can also be associated with non-software development tasks which does not fully convey, well, the type of coding that we do.
Software Engineer, or simply Engineer
This term is similar to software developer, but with a more formal and technical connotation. The word “engineering” emphasizes the use of structured, systematic, and disciplined approaches to software development.
But, in my opinion, the software development process does deviate enough from this traditional engineering paradigm, making engineer not the most appropriate word to use.
Worth noting: you may actually get in trouble for using the term Engineer in Canada. Will you get in trouble for using it in a party? I’d leave this as a worthwhile exercise for the keen reader.
Plus, Software Engineer and Engineer also suffer from the ambiguity vs brevity trade off.
Full Stack Web Developer? Intermediate Product Developer? Software Architect?
Some choose not to participate in the self-naming game and simply use the title given to them on their employment contract.
While these terms can be very useful for companies to identify your particular skills and level of expertise, it may be unfamiliar to those outside of tech.
Full Stack only makes sense if one understands the Front End & Back End Paradigm. Product Developer only makes sense if one knows about Product Owners and Product Managers. And lastly, the word “architect” can conjure the real estate industry more than even the word “developer” could.
** I wouldn’t actually be surprised if web apps as complex as Netflix may one day be possible to make with platforms like WordPress (just think of the e-commerce revolution!). Onto more abstract things for us web developers then!
My recommendation: call yourself a Programmer
It’s simple. It’s widely recognized. And it has half the syllables of software developer.***
I’ve never had the experience of anyone conjuring the wrong image when “programming” is mentioned. On the other hand, it’s easy for one to imagine what else “coding”, “development”, or “engineering” may so ever pertain.
I’m sure one can come up with a reason why programmer may not be the one size fits all job title I’m making it out to be, but I am of the opinion that no other better alternative exists. What do you think?
***I know you counted.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, choosing what to call yourself is a personal decision. But know that certain titles carry connotations with their usage. Some familiar with the industry may understand what your official job title is, but that is not a given with the general public.
My mom once asked me what I really do at work. “Programming,” I told her. “I make programs that are used by law firms and paralegals”.
“So do you need to know what paralegals do?” she followed.
That response means that it wasn’t ambiguous to her what programming is. And that satisfies me, because then I knew I used the right word.
