What is better: web developer or software engineer?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

Software engineering (SE) deals with building and maintaining software systems. It is more applied than Computer Science, placing greater emphasis on the entire software development process, from idea to final product. It is also more disciplined than computer science, applying more systematic practices to help ensure that products are reliable and safe. Software engineers has opportunities in the field of Development, testing, software architect, quality control, project management, business analysis and account management, etc. Whereas web designing is the process which allows visitors to access the web pages at one platform with several images, texts, links, graphics, etc. Web designers use creative graphic designs and design web pages in a way to make the portal look attractive and easy to use. Web designing is niche area of expertise under software engineering. It is better to become software engineers to avail wider career opportunities and then do web designing to become a specialist.

manpreet 2 years ago

Being a web developer is more than being a software engineer. Ideally, you should first be a good software engineer to then be able to be a good web back-end developer. And you need to first be a good software engineer in order to be a good web front end developer too. For the cloud side of things, that's more DevOps- admin blended with programming and you need to be a good software engineer to do that well/correctly as well. So, focus on software engineering. Nail it and become the very best software engineer you possibly can become. Then, afterward, you'll actually be qualified to muck about with web stuff. Personally, I wouldn't have any confidence in a web development that didn't have a strong foundation in computer science and software engineering.

manpreet 2 years ago

Let's assume you're choosing an educational track and you have two explicit options: software engineer and web developer. You want to do web development, which is great, but there are a few reasons you might want to go the 'software engineering' route anyway. 1) Being a software engineer is a perfectly serviceable title if you want to get a web development position. 2) Properly applying the fundamentals of software engineering matters in web development, because the web isn't just scripting. 3) It's entirely possible and maybe even likely that your coursework won't actually give you much in the way of practical skills. 4) People seem to hold software engineers in high regard. Regardless of which route you take, I'd encourage you to do some work on the side to build your own skill set in web development, not just because it will help you in the long run, but because it's fun! Look into frameworks like Ruby on Rails and ASP.NET and try building a web application of your own from the ground up. I guarantee you'll learn quite a bit (and perhaps more than you'd learn in school or even in your first industry position, combined). Do a whole lot of searching for best practices and read the wealth of information people have out there. Look into 3rd party libraries from unit test frameworks to NoSQL databases, choose what you like best and make it work. Read about semantic HTML, try out CSS preprocessors, etc. It sounds like a lot of work and research, but in reality, none of these things are all that complicated. You'd be surprised how much you can learn by just reading blog posts you find with a search. Your degree will help you land your first position, but understanding your work in depth will make you good at it. You'll be able to identify places where your company is doing things wrong and try to figure out how to change them. You'll be able and willing to do just about anything your company needs, and they'll love you for it. And if you have a good idea for a web app of your own, you'll be able to make it happen.

manpreet 2 years ago

A software engineer is someone who builds software. This software could be desktop programs like Spotify or Photoshop, or mobile and web applications (like Facebook, Twitter, or Gmail). Another term for this is a computer programmer. Like most IT related fields, software engineers will have relative degrees and experience which will allow them to provide the most effective software engineering services for businesses. A web developer is one who only builds web applications. But, every web developer who is employable is a software engineer. Software Engineers don't have a better salary than Web Developers, nor do Software Engineers do different work than Web Developers on a day-to-day basis, assuming they're working on web applications. A web developer will be able to provide a comprehensive service for businesses looking to produce a dynamic and eye-catching website.

manpreet 2 years ago

I just graduated and was in a very similar situation. I love web development and everything JavaScript and don't feel the same towards data structures and typical software engineering. I was very disappointed when I started interviewing for software engineer positions and it was all based on data structures/algorithms. I got tons of rejections. However, once I started seeking positions where the work included web apps, I began to do much better in the interviews. I knew more about the subject and it is something I love and want to learn more about, so it seemed more natural. I also felt more comfortable talking with these interviewers’ vs the bigger companies who wanted "software engineers" I was scared I wouldn't get as good of a job, wouldn't be paid as much, or wouldn't have as much opportunity for growth. However, I seemed out what I truly wanted, and found the best job for me. I'm getting paid more than my fellow classmates going into typical SE positions, and my title is actually Software Engineer. I'm glad I stuck with what I loved and didn't give in to my fears. Do what makes you happy, don't feel like you have to live your life for anyone else. You will be much happier and productive in a role that you enjoy.