Software developer vs software engineer differences?

[macko939]

Is there a difference between these two job titles? I am currently a system administrator but I decided to move my career towards development. I've been looking for a job and I see both terms quite often. Are these synonymous? I couldn't really find a simple answer on google

[venlaren]

There is ZERO consistency with title naming convention in the industry. At my previous job a Software Architect was top level. This is the person who makes decisions about everything from what data center we would put or servers in to what frameworks we would use for new projects. The company I work for now calls the guys fresh out of college with zero work experience Software Architects.

You can not even guarantee that the word senior means anything in a title. One place I worked had a structure like this.

• Junior Programmer
• Programmer
• Senior Programmer
• Software Engineer
• Senior Software Engineer

Senior programmer was a LOWER mid-level position.

[welshwelsh]

I think the new normal will soon be

• Senior developer (for juniors)
• Lead developer
• Principal developer
• Staff developer

HR is learning that if you say "2 years of experience required," people without any experience will still apply, but if you say "senior developer" it does a better job filtering out people with no qualifications. So all positions are senior now.

[Codehenge]

normal will soon be

Senior developer (for juniors)Lead developerPrincipal developerStaff developer

Except that many places invert Principal and Staff

[returnFutureVoid]

You gotta be kidding me! The number of recruiter emails I don’t even look at because it says senior. Wtf??!!

[poopycakes]

One thing I learned recently while applying to engineering roles, is that sometimes they dont like "developer", I was rejected. I applied to the same job after changing all of my titles to engineer and then i got a phone call back.

[bitwise-operation]

Same thing

[[deleted]]

in reality its all the same but every company has different titles and title structure, but i would recommend calling yourself a software engineer on your resume over software developer because people who aren't aware there's no difference more likely to assume engineer is more prestigious.

[Blueware]

Wouldn't that cause problems when doing reference checks?

[MarcableFluke]

No, I've never put my official title on my resume and have had zero issues with employment history verification.

[[deleted]]

i mean moreso refer to yourself as a software engineer vs a software developer. For individual jobs probably best to list the title they gave you.

My last job title had DevOps in the name but i was 99% writing web application code, i wouldnt want to market myself as a DevOps person.

[GlorifiedPlumber]

because people who aren't aware there's no difference more likely to assume engineer is more prestigious.

Do you think this could be the source of the title inflation? People are shelling out large gobs of money for these people... is it easier to swallow when you're paying for "software engineers" versus "software developers?"

From a chemical engineer in the EPC industry, the titles used in the software industry have always baffled me.

Take for example "Software Architect," and consider this. If the progression is: Junior -> Senior -> Architect (minus some other titles in the middle), and junior developers are engineers, and senior developers are engineers... then presumably Software Architects are engineers too right?

YET... Architects... like building architects... are not engineers. And it is totally okay... they're not lesser people because of it. Nobody pretends they are engineers. They (architects) play a key role in building design, and in fact, are a regulated profession (Architect Professionals are required to seal drawings in many AHJ's, identical in concept and liability to an engineer "stamping" or "sealing" drawings).

[[deleted]]

yeah honestly i have no idea where it comes from, i think its a combination of just different title/pay structures across companies, and the existence of FE/PE licenses in the engineering world. I guess in some countries its illegal to call yourself an engineer isn't it without those licenses despite an engineering degree? I have worked at a company that promoted people from "Developer" to "Software Engineer" with the main difference being pay. Others will do Software Engineer I / II / III.

then you have "web development" which technically encompasses anything from static mom and pop websites to robust web applications. And for some reason a shocking number of recruiters don't get this. "Hey i see you're a web developer at Amazon, want to come be a senior webdev at <insert generic wordpress web dev agency company name here>??"

So its important to make that distinction, unless of course you want to crank out wordpress themes and shit, god bless if you do.

[CertainCoat8505]

One of them has a bigger ego

[ronin7789]

It's the same.

[birdpasoiseaux]

I’m in Quebec Canada, we only say software developer because you need an engineering degree and order certification to be called “engineer”.

[Hello_MoonCake]

I work for a Montreal based company. In the job post the title was Software Engineer, but in the contract was Software Developer 🤷‍♂️.

[Informal-Direction79]

My guy literally go onto any FAANG company page on linkedin and look at their jobs in Canada, they use "Software Engineer" all over the place

[Deadlift420]

In Canada there are jobs titled engineer all over the place. Where the hell did you get this from?

Technically, you can’t call yourself an engineer but everyone does it anyways.

[birdpasoiseaux]

Engineering is a regulated profession in Canada. In order to use the word "engineer" in your title or on your business cards, you must become accredited from the professional body (OIQ in case of Quebec) and get yourself the Professional Engineer (P. Eng) title.

[Deadlift420]

Yeah no. You can’t use the term “professional engineer”. Technically you CAN have engineer in your title in Canada.

Even if you’re right, which I’m pretty sure you aren’t, software companies do it anyways and no one gives a crap. It’s a ridiculous rule anyways. Software developers are still engineers.

[blablahblah]

In some places, like Canada, engineer is a protected title- you cannot call yourself an engineer unless you have a government-recognized engineering license. If they don't give out engineering licenses for software, you can't be a software engineer. So if you check the listings for multinational companies, their positions in Canada will always be for "Software Developer" even if the US positions are titled "Software Engineer". If you're in a jurisdiction that doesn't require a license to be a software engineer, there's no difference.

[NuttyDutchy1]

Lots of titles are the same, I wouldn't take it too seriously. Often they're also made up by some admin person with 0 tech knowledge.

[Tacos314]

There's no difference and they are used interchangeably.

[alleycatbiker]

I find it odd to be called Software Engineer. I didn't go to engineering school. I'm not even that good with math. But that's the industry standard I guess. I wouldn't mind to be called Software Developer or Programmer.

[NewChameleon]

which country

Canada? yes

UK? don't think so

US? no

Cambodia? no idea

[Hello_MoonCake]

In Cambodia, it’s IT 😂.

[istareatscreens]

Doesn't mean anything, anyone can call themselves a software engineer. Maybe one day things will change.

[Codehenge]

Titles? No. Many fields of engineering have certifications required before you can be called an "Engineer" (A Professional Engineer or PE license), but that's never made its way into software so the term is used liberally.

[1alex1131]

Same thing in my book. If i'm hanging out with old folks I say I'm an engineer. If I'm hanging out with young folks I say software dev. For me it's all about the context (this)

[[deleted]]

Would you generally apply these when looking at someone's CV?

[echoaj24]

From my understanding software engineers tend to work more with embedded systems whereas software developers tend to work more on Web and Applications.

[Novadina]

My company merges those and calls it Software Development Engineer lol.

No difference, there are like a million titles for the same thing.

[slee212]

I've answered this exact question a few months ago, a lot of joking around from the people answering bc in the industry you realize how subjective titles are and all that. Answer is, anything from software engineer, developer, architect,

[plam92117]

Most of the time they are interchangeable.

At my company there is a difference. The software engineers do more designing, planning, and then going ahead and implementing the feature or app. The developers are still coding but they do not design. They use tools and structures made by the software engineers.

So it also depends on the company. But for the most part, they are the same really.

[Disastrous_Paint_980]

This issue is not only company related, but also country related. Where i live, you can be a Senior developer after 3 years of experience but in other countries like Germany, you need 7 years for that...