Do you call yourself a programmer, a developer, or a code monkey?
I personally prefer to say I am a developer.
Tell me more
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closed as not constructive by Anna Lear♦ Jun 28 '11 at 5:09
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It really depends who I'm talking to. I tell business people "I'm a software developer." I tell technical people "I'm a web app developer." I tell very non-technical people "I'm a programmer." I list myself in online biographies as a programmer. |
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Software developer, because plenty of what I do - architecture, testing, requirements management, etc. - isn't coding. I don't produce code, I produce software. |
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I say I'm a software engineer. That was my job title at my last co-op, that's the degree I'm getting, and it's a concise way of saying the things that I have education and/or experience doing. |
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I used to use the standard boring answer, "programmer" or "coder" or the like. I switched sometime in the last year. Now, I tell people that I am a writer for a small local company. When they ask what I write, I tell them I write software. Most people don't understand the process of software development. In a small company, we generally end up hitting the whole spectrum of software creation, and I think that "writing" is the best description for how we create usable software. In the case where I know I'm talking to a geeky person, I just tell them that I "write software". |
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For most people over 60, I'm "in computers". |
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Usually I say "software developer", because it's my actual job title. (Never just "developer" except to other techies, since there are lots of industries where "developer" means something else entirely, e.g., real estate.) Sometimes I say "programmer" or "computer programmer", especially if I'm talking to people who might not be familiar with the term "software developer". |
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I state that I am a Software Engineer, and depending on the technical background of the person asking I further define the specialty as a C++ developer. And if they are developer's crack some programming jokes. Which is also for some reason a really good way to see what level of developer they are :) |
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I always try to be elusive just saying that I'm an employee: if I say that I'm a software developer everyone would ask me to fix their PC. I try to explain that I'm not a PC technician and that I develop embedded software, but that doesn't stop people to bother about their slow computers and other silly question about PCs, e.g. recovering data from wiped or damaged HD or pendrive. By the way, I'd like to call myself a code monkey, but unfortunately I always have too bad or lacking specification and design, so I'm forced to also think instead of just coding! |
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Generally, I like to call myself a Software Craftsman. From Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship:
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Then they normally follow up with a nod that says that means I can't fix their virus ridden Windows 98 machine. Which is the goal. I'm talking to peers I will say I normally do Java / PHP development, server side applications, and then just because I can I'll throw a buzzword laden sentence at them.
That normally gets a good laugh. |
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For fun with other software engineers I know I tend to go with "Code Poet"! (We had a long running joke/debate in our office about whether we were Code Poets or Code Ninjas. I think in the end we were all losers ;)). And for marketing... Blue-sky-solutioneer, because they're mental and like made up nonsense titles. That last one is a joke. Honest. For most people I simply go with Software Engineer, occasionally Software Designer - I never use Programmer or Developer. |
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I just say what I do (which tends to change from time to time). By the way, programming is not what you do, it's how you do it :) |
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To most people I simply say I'm a programmer. Sometimes I say I'm a Software Developer/Software Engineer (which is my actual job designation where I work) when the person I'm saying this to isn't a programmer himself. I prefer using the term programmer. That word basically covers everything I do, including architecture, testing etc. - and emphasizes the most important part. I've actually been using the word even when I was a student and only programmed for fun. |
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Software Developer unless I'm speaking to someone completely non technical (eg. a friend of my Mum's) where I'll call myself a Computer Programmer. |
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Director of Animal Husbandry or Controller of the daemons of stupidity Because thats what my job seems like 99% of the time. |
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Sometime I tell people who are not that okay with computing at all, that I'm a chicken sexer. It's easier explaining that than explaining what I really do. |
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To non-technical people in non-professional settings I usually say For non-technical professionals I say I'm a programmer or developer. I explain more if the person I talk to wants to know more. For IT professionals I say I'm a .NET and database developer and Microsoft MVP. Usually they know what that means :) |
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If talking to a non technical person, I just tell them I do 'computer stuff' or I 'work with computers', that'sall they can understand anyway and its the easiest way to explain to a layman. To others I say I'm a progammer. |
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At my current work place I say 'Software Engineer', because the word 'Engineer' carries a bit more weight than 'Developer' or 'Programmer'. To a lay person I say 'IT Guy', just cause it's a bit more unique way of saying it, and hopefully doesn't have the nerdy connotations of 'Computer Programmer'. |
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Software Engineer. There's a lot of different titles with different connotations. Software Engineer is the one that I think conveys the most professional meaning. |
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I usually tell people that I'm a developer, and then explains them what my speciality is...like at the moment GIS (which makes everybody look weird cause they have no clue what it is). One thing I stay away from is my "educational" title cause that doesn't mean a thing to me. It's more important for me to tell people that I working in solutions that gloating over a fancy pancy title (which I ofcourse don't have and don't want). When ever I've been at places where I've gotten businesscards I've always told them to make them say developer :) |
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I ask them if they've ever seen the movie office space? They say, yea that movie is hilarious - to which I reply, that's my life in the form of satire. I've also given the answer code monkey |
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To the technically oriented people I usually say I'm a coder. For others or in semi-official situations I say I'm a Software Designer. |
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I say I'm an embedded firmware developer. Then I briefly explain what that means, by giving examples of ordinary devices that have microcontrollers in them (e.g. microwave oven, automobile cruise control, DVR etc.). |
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It depends on the audience. My official title is "Software Design Engineer". My 'net title is "Pixel-Stained Technopeasant". I usually use something with a formality level between those two. The more technical the person, the less formal the title. |
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Software engineer. Most of the big wins I've had are to do with not writing software - either advising not to start projects which are too far from the company's core discipline, ensuring good source control and automated testing praxis, preventing duplication with cross-team buddies, or doing clever stuff with generative programming. |
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