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What is the difference between a software developer and a software engineer

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Larry’s Answer

Hi Dejaunae,

It depends on where you live, and how they classify engineers/developers. This answer pertains to the United States, in particular, California.

When it comes to job title/role, look Into look into the job description to see the differences that the company is doing with software Engineers/Developers.

Most of the time, they mean exactly the same thing, but can be different and that’s why you should always look at the description and what they are asking for.

Great question!
-Larry
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Peter’s Answer

I think the definitions for both titles have become pretty loose these days so I'd say they are interchangeable.
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Thais’s Answer

The software engineer works with the software requirements, with the details, describes the validations, the criteria, in short, he details the structural part of how the changes or new implementations that the developer will make should be made.
The software developer writes the code that will be implemented, and makes the implementation, based on the requirements described by the software engineer.
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Parth’s Answer

As per my understanding Software Engineering is more broader area that includes system design, architecture, coding, performance tuning, testing and integrations. Whereas, Software Developer is more like a specific job profile around development as a major responsibility. Though, many companies use them interchangeably. I would advise to read the job description carefully to know what to expect.
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Mickael’s Answer

Nowadays, it is a question of terminology as many companies tend to confound both.
Technically, the Software Engineer designs the software (he engineers it) while the Software Developer writes it (he develops it). The Software Engineer writes algorithm, data structure to be used, design principal ... while the Software Developer takes all these, chooses languages and technologies that fit the design and write it down.

Why nowadays, companies tend to confound them is because the Software Engineer also develops the application so it also becomes a Software Developers. And Software Developers, with experience, can also design application, and are usually part of the design discussion anyway so at their time they are also Software Engineers.
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Aaron’s Answer

You can look at job descriptions at the same company for both positions and compare. I've been both myself and in general I have found software engineers have more responsibility for the actual coding and developing packages, etc. Software developers go more down a design/development route and sometimes get sucked into solutions engineering etc. Amazon for example does not require a lot of programming for a senior software developer. You just have to pass a basic coding test then answer questions more related to why you designed your code the way you did. So obviously a good knowledge of code optimization and best design practices is advantageous. If you find yourself being a good programmer but preferring more of the social/managerial process of app and software development. I would lean towards software developer.
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Zahid’s Answer

While software developers and software engineers share many similarities, they approach computer science and daily tasks differently. Individuals in the field of computer programming interchange the terms software developer and software engineer. Even titles and job posts switch between the two.

My last job was software developer and the one before that was software engineer, although, I did the same thing at both positions. So it depends on the company and how adamant they are about defining each title and the responsibilities that come with.

For a more detail answer check out: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/software-engineer-vs-developer
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Ashford’s Answer

Software engineers build the actual software using engineering principles while software developers work more with the client/customers to makes the software specific to the clients needs.
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Shawn’s Answer

This is absolutely dependent on an employer's definition of these titles and the responsibilities associated. Some folks are very adamant that they be considered an "engineer" and others prefer the term "developer" because it is slightly more specific to the work of coding and testing software.

I would ask questions of a potential employer to understand how these roles work together with others on a team and how much support for operational work there might be. Often both of these titles are part of a team who work together to deliver software. When you work with a product manager, project manager, analyst, and testing team, you may have very different responsibilities than as a freelance software developer/engineer who has to do a bit of all of those roles to complete a project.
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Huong’s Answer

Hi Dejaunae,
It depends on how they classify software engineer/developer, it's important that you read the job description.
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AMJAD’s Answer

It depends on the job defined role and responsibilities, but in most cases is the same. It's best to clearly understand the job description and what is expected from you as a software developer/engineer.
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