What is software engineering?
I formed an opinion, even if I'm very junior to say, about what a Software Engineer is, whether it be backend, frontend, fullstack, systems, mobile. I think we are computer nannies who are also byte plumbers.
Being a software engineer is
Being a computer nanny
That's the most job aspect of our job. Those things are stupid, and they keep breaking all the time. That's our living. The passing of the torch is when we feel ourselves saying what our seniors said, for example "it works on my machine." It happens when we least expect it, but when it does, it triggers a powerful Déjà vu flashing in our eyes how time has passed, and we came from junior to senior.
Being a plumber
Fixing data leaks, being mindful of pipelines, thinking of data and applications as rivers with downstream
- "Why is this returning this here?"
- "Why did this not catch this other variable?"
- "Why...?"
We have aspects that remind us of plumbing, hence why we have so many plumbing terms in the SW world. I guess we are distant byte pipe plumbers?
Being a mentor and a professional
That includes passing down knowledge and wisdom, mentoring the newcomers.
By professional, I mean we have to learn how to face non-technical people, whether it be C-suite, PMs, clients or even our ma and pa, and deliver a professional response, unafraid to tell them X, Y and Z about their idea sucks. That goes without saying for any profession.