Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!rex!uflorida!shark!theo From: theo.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Theo Heavey) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Not engineers Message-ID: Date: 18 Apr 91 04:25:06 GMT References: <1991Apr17.144402.16637@sparky.IMD.Sterling.COM> Sender: bbs@cs.fau.edu (Waffle BBS) Organization: Florida Atlantic University Lines: 40 jim@sparky.IMD.Sterling.COM (Jim Nicholsen) writes: > This is the very idea I have begun to discuss (albeit unsuccessfully > thus far :->) in my organization. My idea came from Walt Disney who > transfered the titles from the movie industry that he understood, to > his "new" amusement park as it was built. His problem was to communicate > his expectations to the staff, and he found that he couldn't achieve > the level of communication he needed within the conventional amusement > park titles. (The preceding from a management seminar I attended from > the Walt Disney staff). > > I can see that a similar problem existing within our industry. The title > "software engineer" was grabbed to add more prestige to those given the > title. The debate on-going in the professional organizations concerning > certification of those whoe wish to use the title has much more to do with > perserving prestige as it does with "improving" the level of expertise. > > I submit, that once the names have been corrupted by linkage to salary > pecking order we will search for names to describe the work. The "software > engineer" title stems from that need to describe the work (and if it > means more salary, so much the better :->). > I agree --- the terminology in our area is sometime taken to the extreme. Unfortunately, titles will always be associated with money NOT just the underlying talent. Still worse is the fact that very rarely may a techie type flourish in the tech area. To clarify, a good techie (ie. programmer) can only go so far before maxing out the salary range. To move up (the standard American dream) to a higher level of income the techie must move into "management" --- too many GREAT programmers/sys analysts/other techies are in the realms of mid to upper mgt. It is unfortunate that those who are so talented are rewarded in this manner. I'll take that flame suit now please -------- Theo Heavey Florida Atlantic University theo@cs.fau.edu