Introduction

In recent years many development and career opportunities have been introduced in the IT and Computer world.  It is even hard for a computer or IT-based companies to hire and select the candidate with an apposite skill set for their job. This is because of the array of terminologies. Most of us confuse Software Engineers and Programmers; though they serve the same purpose they are in a different position and need different skills. In this article you will know the clear difference between the Software Engineer and Programmer.

Who is a Software Engineer?

A Software engineer is a person who applies engineering knowledge in the programming field. He listens to the clients or company needs and designs the software accordingly. A software Engineer should have clear coding knowledge and innovative talent to find a solution for the impossible.

With their advanced mathematics knowledge and engineering role, they focus on the big picture. Software engineers are also referred to as Software Architects – as they build and plan the design, functions, requirements, cost for the software development. At the same time, they also need good programming knowledge to communicate with programmers and to find a new solution to the problem in the existing software.

In simple terms, a software Engineer is a computer expert with computer knowledge who plans and monitors the Software Development Process.

Who is a Programmer?

A programmer is a person who is fluent in more than coding languages. He is capable of reading and understanding the existing codes or algorithms.

Most people confuse a programmer with coders. Coders now just know how to write the codes and they mostly don’t know many computer languages. A programmer can understand the requirements and creates a completely functional program with his code.

A programmer will usually have more coding knowledge than Software engineers, as he is constantly working on it. He is responsible to fix the bugs and ensure the proper working of the program.

Difference between the Software Engineer and the Programmer

It is very hard to differentiate both roles if it’s a small company. But in big companies you can easily classify them by their features here is how they differ.

PARAMETERS	SOFTWARE ENGINEER	PROGRAMMER
Definition	A computer or coding expert who uses the knowledge of engineering to build software.	Has wide computer knowledge and writes different codes.
Education	Has formal training and a degree in computer science engineering	Doesn’t have any engineering degree, most of them are bachelors in computer science or any other associate degree.
Role	A software engineer plans to monitor and involve in the whole software development life cycle (SDLC)	A programmer only codes a particular program/part of the whole software and is involved only in one stage of SDLC.
Skills	Has advanced knowledge of programming and mathematics. He should have the best analytical to find a new or alternative software solution.	Fluent in more than 2-3 programming languages, with the ability to read and write different algorithms.
Working Nature	A software engineer mostly works with a team of engineers or programmers.	A programmer works independently based on the direction received from the software engineers.
Responsibilities	Is responsible to analyze and evaluate the client’s needs and prepare the requirements.	Is responsible to translate the software engineer requirement or instructions to code and fix the bugs in them.
Hierarchy	Is superior to programmers in a team.	Is a sub-ordinate to the software engineers.
Suitability	Software engineers are suitable to create large solutions or software as they lead the team accordingly.	As a programmer works individually he can manage only the small tasks.
Salary	The Average Annual Salary of a Software engineer is $93, 280.	A programmer can receive an average salary of $78, 260 per year

Download the difference table here.

In simple words, a software engineer is like the civil engineer who plans, designs, analyses the cost and creates the blueprint for the building. An engineer can’t do that if he is not aware of the building techniques and ways, like that Software engineer should have the coding knowledge to design a perfect solution.

And a programmer is like a person who is working on the building site, doesn’t care about the cost, and primarily focuses on the quality of the construction. Programmer key focus area is mainly on the performance and bug fixation of the portion allotted to him.

If you have any further doubts, please leave your questions in the comment section.

Continue Reading:

Microsoft Technical Hierarchy: Job Profiles

Cloud Architect vs Cloud Engineer

What is Agile SDLC?

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