Computer programmer...Software Engineer...whats the diff???

[lil_mickey]

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.

[rizzix]

they are the same.. except the second one is a little broader than the first..

[Tony]

The latter get paid more (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.

[Martin]

Tony wrote:

The latter get paid more (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.

[Tony]

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?"

[Martin]

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.

[md]

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?!

[Paul]

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).

[md]

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...

[Martin]

Hey, I took physics!

[md]

I rest my case.

[lil_mickey]

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!

[betaflye]

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.

[Andy]

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

[md]

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.