Computer Science Canada

Computer programmer...Software Engineer...whats the diff???
Author:  lil_mickey [ Sat May 07, 2005 9:49 am ]
Post subject:  Computer programmer...Software Engineer...whats the diff???
What the difference between these two professions? They sound almost exactly the same to me. Ive done research on software engineers, and they sound almost exactly like programmers...anyone know what the difference (if there is any difference at all) between these two? thanx.
Author:  rizzix [ Sat May 07, 2005 12:40 pm ]
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they are the same.. except the second one is a little broader than the first..
Author:  Tony [ Sat May 07, 2005 1:18 pm ]
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The latter get paid more Laughing (assuming such job is not outsourced to India)

Anyways, Software Engineers (here at Waterloo) are split between Math and Engineering faculties. They learn the same Math and Programming as CS, and same design skill sets as Engineers. At the end you would be able to design a better program and have a better understanding of how the project works.

On the flip side, a CS major would typically be able to write a better function, but lack broader design understanding.

Basically designing software vs. writing software.
Author:  Martin [ Sat May 07, 2005 1:32 pm ]
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Tony wrote:
The latter get paid more Laughing (assuming such job is not outsourced to India)

Anyways, Software Engineers (here at Waterloo) are split between Math and Engineering faculties. They learn the same Math and Programming as CS, and same design skill sets as Engineers. At the end you would be able to design a better program and have a better understanding of how the project works.

On the flip side, a CS major would typically be able to write a better function, but lack broader design understanding.

Basically designing software vs. writing software.


Are you kidding me? In CS we have a program design course every semester.

Computer Scientists write software. Software Engineers document and debug it.

From waterloo's website: Software Engineering vs. Other Computing Programs.
Quote:
Many students want to know how Software Engineering differs from Computer Science and Computer Engineering. The three programs have common elements: they all stress an understanding of both digital hardware and software, though to varying degrees, and they all hone students' problem-solving skills. As well, graduates of all three programs may compete for some of the same jobs. However, the programs have different objectives.

* Computer Engineering (CE) deals with designing, developing, and operating computer systems. At its core, Computer Engineering concentrates on digital hardware devices and computers, and the software that controls them. Advanced courses focus on standard designs and techniques for specific application domains. In contrast to CS and SE, Computer Engineering emphasizes solving problems in digital hardware and at the hardware-software interface.
* Computer Science (CS) focuses on understanding, designing, and developing programs and computers. At its core, Computer Science concentrates on data, data transformation, and algorithms. Advanced courses present specialized programming techniques and specific application domains. The CS program is less structured than the CE and SE programs, giving students more flexibility to build depth or breadth in a variety of application domains or in the fundamentals of Computer Science.
* Software Engineering (SE) deals with building and maintaining software systems. It is more software-oriented and has a greater emphasis on large software applications than Computer Engineering. It is more applied than Computer Science, placing greater emphasis on the entire software development process, from idea to final product. It is also more disciplined than Computer Science, applying more systematic practices to help ensure that products are reliable and safe.
Author:  Tony [ Sat May 07, 2005 1:36 pm ]
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Martin wrote:
Quote:

* Software Engineering (SE) ... applying more systematic practices to help ensure that products are reliable and safe.

Thus the Engineering aspect of the software design.

Basically a CS student will ask "how can I make this function execute faster?", while a SE student is supposed to ask "how can I make sure that this function will not cause the hardware to set itself on fire?" Laughing
Author:  Martin [ Sat May 07, 2005 1:52 pm ]
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If you want to spend less money on tuition, go into software engineering. Actually, if you want to spend less money on tuition, go into anything except for computer science...the only program that pays more than us is pre-optometry.
Author:  md [ Sat May 07, 2005 5:38 pm ]
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As an added bonus for taking CS you get to do much more interesting math, and you get a much cooler degree. I mean lets face it; everyones got an engineering degree these days, but who in their right mind has a B.Math?! Very Happy
Author:  Paul [ Sat May 07, 2005 5:42 pm ]
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I could get into CS, but I don't think I'll ever get into Software engineering, seems to be hard to be admitted. at UW anyway. For non ubergenius ppl like me (unlike you guys).
Author:  md [ Sat May 07, 2005 6:48 pm ]
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Um... yeah... ubergenius... I should really work on that...

CS is a good program, if you like programing, and only care a bit about how the actual machine your programing works then CS is for you; you'll learn how to do things, and why it works. If you like more the hardware, and don't care how something works, only that it does; take SE, or CE.

Another nice thing about taking math (CS), that the engineers seem to forget about is that you have a LOT more electives, and their real electives, not your choice of these three engineer-directed "electives". You wanna take some econ, sure! Poly-sci? No problem! Physics... *shudders* well, there's something wrong with you, but you could do that too...
Author:  Martin [ Sun May 08, 2005 1:27 am ]
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Hey, I took physics!
Author:  md [ Sun May 08, 2005 8:39 am ]
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I rest my case.
Author:  lil_mickey [ Sun May 08, 2005 2:59 pm ]
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wow..so i guess you can say a software engineer is midway between a computer engineer and a programmer?? Now its a bit clearer!

Yea ive also heard getting into U of W for Software engineering is pretty hard...lots of competition these days i guess.

but anyways, thanks for the replies!
Author:  betaflye [ Sun May 08, 2005 5:13 pm ]
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I've always thought of them as seperate but different. I mean at the core of each you study programming, digital systems, operating sytems, computer architecture, math, and science.

Computer science is more of implementing a design, and computer engineering is more design/documentation. That being said the difference really is minimal. As computer scientists are involved in the design and computer engineers are part of the coding.
Author:  Andy [ Sun May 08, 2005 5:39 pm ]
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actually computer science and computer engineering is very different, cs mainly deals with using software to develop other software and ce deals with interfacing and getting the hardware and software to work better together
Author:  md [ Sun May 08, 2005 6:26 pm ]
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I think he might have confused CS and SE... there are too many computer related degrees... B.Math for Computer Science, B.Eng for Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering.

The major difference between CS and SE is that SEs get a B.Eng instead of a B.Math, and they have slightly different courses; although there are some which are exactly the same (SE112 is CS241). CE and CS are completely different, although you do learn how to program in CE, the focus is not on programing like it is in CS.
Author:  Andy [ Sun May 08, 2005 7:06 pm ]
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se is mostly design, alot of pseudo code and crap, i'd kill myself if i did it
Author:  Dan [ Mon May 09, 2005 8:44 pm ]
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Martin wrote:
If you want to spend less money on tuition, go into software engineering. Actually, if you want to spend less money on tuition, go into anything except for computer science...the only program that pays more than us is pre-optometry.


That is not true at all unis, since the goverment got ride of tution conrtonl on some progames some less ethical uni's have started chagering more and more for thess progames, but not all unis are evil and only think about money. For example at lakehead most of the progames are the same cost other then a few odd ones witch are a 1000 or 2000 more.

Cornflake wrote:

Another nice thing about taking math (CS), that the engineers seem to forget about is that you have a LOT more electives, and their real electives, not your choice of these three engineer-directed "electives". You wanna take some econ, sure! Poly-sci? No problem! Physics... *shudders* well, there's something wrong with you, but you could do that too...


Again this is not true at all uni, lakehead lets CS students spshalize right away so you aucatly do not get any electives intill 3rd year.
Author:  Martin [ Mon May 09, 2005 9:16 pm ]
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Waterloo also lets students specialize, but they don't have to.
Author:  md [ Tue May 10, 2005 9:44 am ]
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If you choose to specialize, that's your choice. You also have the choice to take many different ellectives. It's all about the choices...

And I think tuition for CS may not actually be teh highest... I think one of the engineering programs is; but they're pretty damn close. Tuition is absurd...
Author:  wtd [ Tue May 10, 2005 10:27 am ]
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Andy wrote:
se is mostly design, alot of pseudo code and crap, i'd kill myself if i did it


Yes, UML hasa way of making people want to do that.
Author:  JackTruong [ Tue May 10, 2005 5:43 pm ]
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In my opinion, CS is slightly more theoretical and SE is slightly more practical.

I'm planning to enter SE because it sounds cooler to be an engineer than a scientist.
Author:  md [ Tue May 10, 2005 7:26 pm ]
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JackTruong wrote:
In my opinion, CS is slightly more theoretical and SE is slightly more practical.

I'm planning to enter SE because it sounds cooler to be an engineer than a scientist.


I'd say the exact opposite, first semester in CS you start programming right away, and as you progress you do more and more practical stuff. You do learn theory, but there is lots of practical things too. For instance in CS241 (introduction to structured languages; basically intro to compilers) you learn the theory behind something in your lectures, then you have to go put that theory to use writing an assigment. The same is true for most, if not all, other courses. Lots of theory sure, but you have to put that theory to work too.
Author:  Martin [ Tue May 10, 2005 11:07 pm ]
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Software engineers are in the great position where they get laughed at by the engineers for not being real engineers, and laughed at by the cs'ers for not being real programmers.
Author:  Andy [ Thu May 12, 2005 7:55 pm ]
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and they get laughed at by all the uni students cuz they have no girls
Author:  md [ Thu May 12, 2005 8:23 pm ]
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Who get's laughed at for not getting girls? Certainly not CS students, because then I'd be some kind of freak CS student, well more then I already am Razz
Author:  Andy [ Thu May 12, 2005 8:25 pm ]
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i was talkin about se...

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