Professionalism and the Software Industry

Not being an engineer, I didn't really have much of an idea about the history of the profession. From this week's readings, especially The Revolt of the Engineers, I think it's very interesting to not the parallels between physical engineering and software engineering, which is a subject I do know a fair amount about, as my father, who I'm sure to mention in the future, is a software engineer.

I think it's interesting to note that many of the pioneers of software development are not formally educated engineers. The perfect example is Bill Gates, who is essentially self-taught. This is very much like the early development of the physical engineering trade, where many young engineers learned their trade by working hands-on. Software engineering has moved towards professionalism with some aplomb; there are a remarkable number of University that offer degrees in the field now, and a truly staggering number of professional certifications. I suspect that as we move forward, software engineering will become more formalized, as engineering has.