Multidisciplined (Score 1)

I personally like the term software developer; though, my company formally calls me a software engineer. I am reading these comments about defining software engineering/development and it is obvious that it is difficult to quantify this discipline in terms of any other discipline. Software development is an inherently unique endeavor that requires I wide range of abilities and ways of thinking to solve difficult problems. Sometimes it requires rigor and a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. At other times it requires artistry and extreme creativity. And yet at other times it truly feels like working the line in a factory. It is beautiful in its exactness, many times revealing unexpected consequences. The latest US financial crisis has been contributed to unexpected consequences relating to software written in the 80's and 90's. At its core, however, is the goal of automation and thus freedom. We automate so we are free to perform other, hopefully, more desirable tasks. In order to accomplish this, software developers must learn about processes, machines, relationships between abstract concepts, communication, etc, etc, etc. Most importantly, however, we get to learn about people, learn about ourselves, and in the process learn about new things to automate