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Software Engineering refers to the process from research & requirements -> Deployment and Maintenance. A software engineer rarely codes, instead they deal more with the 37 steps of software development. There are many different ways to create software and the SE needs to decide which is best for every individual project. Whether it be the waterfall method, iterative approaches like agile and XP. Its there jobs to determine the best way to get the job finished under budget and on time, and to also minimize future maintenance. For a better idea read the book Code Complete or read the Joel on Software blog.
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<p>In my experience, software engineers write code as well as participate in other aspects of software development. It really depends on the company. For example, quite a few Silicon Valley tech companies employ people with "Software Engineer" titles who write substantial amounts of code.</p>