What does a C++ and .NET sofware engineer do?

[striver87]

<p>Does anybody know about that field?</p>

<p>Can a degree in computer science get you into a job like that?</p>

[Montegut]

<p>Very interested in this as well. </p>

<p>What is the difference between a degree in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science?</p>

<p>Can you get a similar job with either of these degrees?</p>

[Crypteasy]

<p>[Difference</a> Between Software Engineering and Computer Science at Cal Poly](<a href=“http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~djanzen/secsdiff.html]Difference”>Difference Between Software Engineering and Computer Science at Cal Poly)</p>

<p>Simple Description :
Computer Science - Theory & how computers / programming work. (Not too much programming)
Computer Engineering - Combination of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. (Control electronics with programming)
Software Engineering - Basically Computer Science with less theory, and more programming. (Mostly programming software in groups)</p>

<p>You can get simular jobs with computer science and software engineering. Thought not the same. Computeer science is more geared for the person to know many computer based things and have a flexible job entry. (Most of the time they will learn how to do the specific job during the first few months) Software engineering is suppose to give you the knowledge and the ability to program software right after college. </p>

<p>C++ - specific programming language.
.net - specific syntax (by microsoft)</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>They design and write software applications in that specific language/platform. Other languages the same individuals might use are C#, C, Java, etc.</p>

<p>Yes, a Computer Science degree is the typical path one would take to become a software engineer.</p>

<p>Montegut: Do a search on CC to find one of the many threads discussing the differences between CS and CE but Crypteasy explained it in a nutshell athough at many colleges a CS major will do a lot of programming in addition to getting a lot of theory (UCSD and UCLA come to mind) and won’t have an actual ‘Software Engineering’ major - just CS and CE.</p>

[Lacero]

<p>They are pretty much the same when it comes to desktop/web development. Embedded/firmware/hardware specific software is a lot of the time out of the reach of CS/SE because there is a stigma with CS and low level programming.</p>

[Montegut]

<p>Lacero, could you elaborate a little? I don’t know what embedded/firmware/hardware specifica software is. Also, what is the stigma associated with CS and programming?</p>

<p>If someone is talented with computers and wants to design medical equipment, what would be a good major?</p>

<p>In other words, they don’t want to sit in front of a screen all day, even though they are talented in programming, but want to actually design equipment, specifically, medical devices, would it be better to major in computer engineering, rather than computer science, or maybe even electrical or mechanical engineeering?</p>

<p>Many schools offer computer science under the college of arts and science, whereas, computer engineering is under the college of engineering. The A&S degree would not require chemistry, physics, and those other fun engineering courses, but would require more liberal arts and foreign language requirement. The Engineering degree would require all those fun courses like heat transfer, thermodynamics, you know, the ones that make people quit engineering. </p>

<p>And of course, what are the job prospects for both, computer science, AS, or computer engineering, ENG?</p>

[silence_kit]

<p>There are some schools in which their computer science programs deemphasize teaching about how computers actually work in detail (intro programming classes in Java, anyone?). In a lot of jobs (maybe most programming jobs), knowing a lot about how they work isn’t very important, but in some “low-level programming” jobs it is pretty important.</p>

<p>

In other words, they don’t want to sit in front of a screen all day, even though they are talented in programming, but want to actually design equipment, specifically, medical devices, would it be better to major in computer engineering, rather than computer science, or maybe even electrical or mechanical engineeering?

</p>

<p>Design is design. I wouldn’t say that writing software is less intellectually stimulating than laying out a circuit board or machining a mechanical part. And with the advent of computer drafting programs, electrical and mechanical engineers do plenty of sitting in front of computer screens too. </p>

<p>If they want to design electrical devices, they should study EE.</p>

<p>

Many schools offer computer science under the college of arts and science, whereas, computer engineering is under the college of engineering. The A&S degree would not require chemistry, physics, and those other fun engineering courses, but would require more liberal arts and foreign language requirement. The Engineering degree would require all those fun courses like heat transfer, thermodynamics, you know, the ones that make people quit engineering.

</p>

<p>Computer science courses are difficult too. Algorithms is usually a very tough class. I wouldn’t say that engineering degrees are harder than CS degrees.</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>

but want to actually design equipment, specifically, medical devices, would it be better to major in computer engineering, rather than computer science, or maybe even electrical or mechanical engineeering?

Depending on what you mean by ‘design’, I’d say to go with CE for this since much of the equipment is microprocessor based and one might need/want to range from some electronic design with the microprocessor to writing firmware in assembly language (for the microprocessor) to writing apps in a higher level language. But a lot of the software used by these and other devices is actually written in higher level languages where a CS degree would be appropriate as well. Some of these medical systems (think about an MRI machine) are very sophisticated and aren’t developed by a lone person somewhere but rather, a team of people that includes many disciplines such as EE, ME, CE, CS, as well as some mathematicians, physicists, MDs, etc.</p>

<p>Regarding ‘sitting in front of a screen all day’ - there are a lot of assumptions I see being made by people in this regard. They don’t seem to realize that the EE, ME, or CE designers of such equipment are likely to spend just as much time in front of their screen as a CS person designing or writing the app when they’re not in meetings. Circuits are designed using software on a computer nowadays and so are the mechanical designs. Actually, most people in business spend most of their time in front of their computers or in meetings. The non-technical types tend to be in front of them (when not in face to face meetings) doing email, creating presentations, working with spreadsheets, etc. Even many meetings nowadays are conducted on the computer using virtual means such as Webex and videoconferencing or else they’re sitting at their desk doing a concall. And not all CS degreed people spend all their time at a screen.</p>

<p>Regarding low level programming - many CS programs require that courses at the assembly-level be taken. But even if one has never done it, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to pick it up fairly easily - the concepts aren’t that difficult relative to the other programming techniques they’ve learned.</p>

<p>But people need to realize that getting the degree is just a starting point and once they enter business they’ll tend to start to focus into a particular area and they’ll generally move to different areas as they go throughout their degree.</p>

[Lacero]

<p>From wiki,</p>

<p>

In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device.
A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware is connected. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver, the driver issues commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers are hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface.

</p>

<p>

Firmware is a term sometimes used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs that internally control various electronic devices. Typical examples range from end-user products such as remote controls or calculators, through computer parts and devices like harddisks, keyboards, TFT screens or memory cards, all the way to scientific instrumentation and industrial robotics. Also more complex consumer devices, such as mobile phones, digital cameras, synthesizers, etc., contain firmware to enable the device’s basic operation as well as implementing higher level functions.
Naturally, there is no strict, or well defined, boundaries between firmware and software, both are quite loose descriptive terms. However, firmware is typically involved with very basic low-level operations in a device, without which the device would be completely non-functional. Firmware is also a relative term, as most embedded devices contain firmware at more than one level. Subsystems such as LCD modules, flash chips, communication controllers etc, have their own (usually fixed) program code and/or microcode, regarded as ‘part of the hardware’ by the higher level firmware.

</p>

<p>

Embedded software is computer software which plays an integral role in the electronics it is supplied with.
Embedded software’s principal role is not Information Technology[clarification needed], but rather the interaction with the physical world. It’s written for machines that are not, first and foremost, computers. Embedded software is ‘built in’ to the electronics in cars, telephones, audio equipment, robots, appliances, toys, security systems, pacemakers, televisions and digital watches, for example. This software can become very sophisticated in applications like airplanes, missiles, process control systems, and so on.
Embedded software is usually written for special purpose hardware: that is computer chips that are different from general purpose CPUs[dubious – discuss], sometimes using Real-time operating system such as LynxOS, VxWorks, Linux, eCos, ThreadX, Windows CE, Fusion RTOS, Nucleus RTOS, RTEMS, Integrity and Neutrino.

</p>

<p>Something like 80% of embedded practitioners are from EE, EECS & CE.* Some hiring managers don’t like employing designers without a hardware bring up**.It isn’t necessarily the major but probably more about interests and opportunities pushing you in certain directions and toward specific skills. 10 years of database, IT and GUI apps and would you really want to take an entry level position in another domain?</p>

<p><em>[Embedded.com</a> - Poll Archives](<a href=“http://embedded.com/pollArchives/showPoll.jhtml?surveyno=257401002]Embedded.com”>http://embedded.com/pollArchives/showPoll.jhtml?surveyno=257401002)
*</em>[Stack</a> Overflow: Electrical Engineers versus Computer Scientists](<a href=“http://www.embeddedgurus.net/stack-overflow/2009/02/electrical-engineers-versus-computer.html]Stack”>http://www.embeddedgurus.net/stack-overflow/2009/02/electrical-engineers-versus-computer.html)</p>

[silence_kit]

<p>

Regarding low level programming - many CS programs require that courses at the assembly-level be taken.

</p>

<p>Yeah, but programming/design at this level is the CompE sweet spot. And some schools are moving away from these subjects in their CS curriculums.</p>

<p>

But even if one has never done it, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to pick it up fairly easily - the concepts aren’t that difficult relative to the other programming techniques they’ve learned.

</p>

<p>If the only programming techniques that you have learned are “heh. I don’t need to worry about memory. the garbage collector will take care of it.”, then programming in assembly will be really painful.</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>

If the only programming techniques that you have learned are “heh. I don’t need to worry about memory. the garbage collector will take care of it.”, then programming in assembly will be really painful.

Only until they learn that they can’t write code with the assumption of limitless memory. If they don’t adjust their design/coding methodology to the platform then you’re right, they won’t do a very good job.</p>

<p>I remember when 64K was a lot of memory and when memory for mainframes cost about $100K per megabyte!</p>

<p>

10 years of database, IT and GUI apps and would you really want to take an entry level position in another domain?

Generally not but if someone is fresh out of college with a CS degree, has some assembly courses under their belt, and has decided they’d like to go into a field more at the assembly/driver level, I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be successful. Conversely a lot of CE people end up becoming Software Engineers and writing higher level code and never design a circuit or write in assembler after college. Again, the degree is just the starting point.</p>

[BCEagle91]

<p>I have a computer on my desk right now from the 1970s. About 256 words of memory, 7-segment LED display, magnetic card i/o. It still works. I had fun programming it in high school. It’s sitting under a MacBook Pro with 4 GB or RAM and much better i/o.</p>

<p>Regarding medical equipment - perhaps some specialties of biomedical engineering with some EE and CS courses would be useful.</p>

<p>Another aspect of going for the CS degree for software engineering is the career ladder. Lower levels involve a lot of programming but you may have work in writing specs, doing design, working with users, writing documentation, fixing bugs, choosing development platforms, etc. The career path goes up to Consulting Engineer and then to Architect. The work that these people do is in dealing with large and complex systems and a wide variety of technologies. It’s a quasi-management position.</p>

<p>We’ve hired three software engineers in the last two weeks. One of them joins us at lunch regularly. I haven’t met the other two yet. The economic slowdown hasn’t hit us yet.</p>

[Montegut]

<p>Thank you all, so much, for your comments. I have learned a lot. </p>

<p>It sounds like even if you don’t major in computer science, having a good working knowledge and able to catch on easily with computers will be to your benefit. </p>

<p>Hopefully will go to a school with a good advising department that can guide son and his friends as to what major/courses will best serve them for their intended career goals.</p>

<p>Again, thank you all so much for your advice.</p>