It seems that some head off to software engineering without having a plan and ignoring what kind of doctor they will be. Oddly it is very common to see some at the end of their training (online or in a school) who completely ignores that software engineering is like medicine.

It also often seems complicated to make those who are not in the field understand the branches of this field, the different medical bodies. Not understanding the complexity of this area, they tend to make very unsettling proposals and make confusing comments. For these people it seems quite normal. We can’t blame them. They do not understand. If you recognize yourself, I invite you to continue reading.

If you enter a hospital after a serious accident and find only one employee (who is a doctor) to take care of you, will you stay?

We will continue with a series of questions and answers which will have answers extremely simplified to give just the essential. Thus, everyone, even those foreign to this field, will easily understand what it really is.

Simplicity, the art of maximizing the amount of work not done, is essential - Robert C. Martin

What is a software?

It is a virtual computer tool that can be found in different types of electronic devices (television, computer, phones, etc.) capable of solving a specific problem.

What is a software engineer?

He is someone who solves a problem using methods, calculations and scientific tools specific to software development.

What is an analyst?

He is a software engineer who breaks down a complex problem using the necessary technical tools and offers a solution understandable by Mr. Everyone and by engineers. (He is the ambulance man 😉)

What is a designer?

He is a person who graphically represents the software by applying design concepts so that the use of the software is simple, intuitive and pleasant for the user. He makes this graphic representation from sketches obtained by the analyst. (He looks like a radiographer / ultrasound scanner 😃, but he is above all a photographer)

What is a programmer?

He is a technician who can perform tasks without having to know the great whole of the software. This technician generally just implements algorithms when asked to (It’s a nurse actually 😊). This role is very often given to novices, otherwise it is swallowed by a role that we will see a below.

What is a developer?

He’s the big brother of the programmer 😁. More seriously, it is a software engineer who implements the analyst’s proposal using software design tools. Unlike the programmer, he is completely immersed in the software. (It’s the surgeon 😎)

What is a Front-end developer?

Among the surgeons there are specialists. Here is the first specialty. The front-end developer realizes the designs, defined by the designer, so that they would be displayed on the intended devices. (The plastic surgeon 😆)

What is a Back-end developer?

So here comes the cardiologists and the neurologists. And yes, without them, nothing works. The back-end developer is the one who realizes what is necessary so that the visual aspects, available on the devices and implemented by the front-end developer, work with the persistent (permanent) data of the software.

What is a DevOps?

The big boss. The head of the surgery department. The one who organizes and implements all the processes and operations so that his colleagues can work with confidence. Thanks to him we have a continuous feedback on the evolution of the resolution of the problem.

I think I took a quick tour and shed some light on the branches of software engineering. I let you reflect on these little questions from the header image. (These questions will make developers laugh, sensitive soul refrain 😂)

  • Where are the analysts? And why are they there?
  • Have you noticed the DevOps’ posture? Who is he pointing at? 😂
  • On his head, you can see why the programmer is a programmer.
  • What is the role that swallows that of the programmer?

And in the end, don’t forget:

It takes a whole medical corps to effectively treat a patient

Thanks for the reading. I await your answers and comments. 😊