Senior Software Engineer

Usually, this is simply someone who has been SoftwareEngineer or JustaProgrammer for a long time. The title lacks the respect demanded by a visionary leader responsible for the design of an application.

So if I want a visionary leader to respect me, what should I have HR put on my business card?

If you think that people should respect you just because your business card says something, then perhaps you're in the wrong line of work. Marketing might be more appropriate.

Actually, I don't think that. (See StrawMan.) I was just trying to better understand the opening statement. Can someone else clarify?

Yeah, sure. Whatever. I get to be ChiefArchitect next time.

I know a company where the Senior Software Engineer is 23, since they fired the 30-year-old.

[It may sound ironic, and sure, there's title inflation...but I was "Senior Software Engineer" at age 23. People always assumed that was simple title inflation, however, I was the customer liason, collected requirements, did the architecture, design, and implementation single handedly, presented the product to the customer for acceptance tests, etc. I don't think it was title inflation. In theory, it's not about your age or amount of experience, it's about amount of responsibility.]

That title makes perfect sense if the 23 year old is about to graduate with a degree in Software Engineering

Why? ...oh, I get it...ha ha

I have always laughed at the hyperbole used on some peoples cards; Most of mine don't include a position for that reason. At one company I became annoyed enought at the practice of title-inflation that I had a run of cards made up with "Supreme Being" as a position. Unfortuneately found myself in a meeting with the CEO, CTO, and CFO of a Japanese client with only these cards in my pocket. Some jokes don't cross cultures very easily....

In any case, I have met more than enough bozos at all levels (including upper management of Fortune 100 companies) in this business to decide that the title you stick on your card means little to me. Certainly my respect comes from your actions, not your label ... as it should be in all things.

Apropos the name of this page --- the term "software engineer" is so ill defined anyways that attempting to modify it to "senior software engineer" is pretty useless. Within an organisation it may or may not give you a good idea of the persons capabilities and job --- certainly there doesn't seem to be enough industry consensus to make it usefull in comparing people/jobs from different orgs.

The job of software engineer is already well defined, even if the scope varies from company to company. It's someone who engineers a software product, which may include capturing requirements, analysing, designing, implementing, coding, testing, documenting, or even all of the above. All plumbers don't do the same jobs but everyone knows what a plumber is.

And the concept of a SeniorSoftwareEngineer is still useful, whether it's a title or not. What makes an engineer more senior? Or, what's the difference between this and a junior or graduate software engineer? To me, it's not just more skill and experience, it's about leadership and all the qualities that go with it, such as initiative, resilience, anticipating problems, assertiveness, confidence etc., and being able to look beyond the immediate tasks sitting on the plate at a given time. It's about added responsibility in line with the additional money you're (hopefully) paying this person. -- AndrewJoyner