Developers VS. Engineers

My perception is that a developer’s job starts where an engineer’s job ends. Though an engineer’s job does not end literally, but when design is in a shape suitable to be handed over to the developer can be termed as ‘end’.

Accepting the fact that a developer is not just a code writer or a syntax specialist, he would also review and modify the design, so the jobs of both overlap but are clearly different. Just like the jobs of a technical and creative writer are totally different but of course both have to ‘write’.

A designer has the eye to see through a design whether it is easily modifiable or not. For example when implementing user roles the designers concern would be what if a new role has to be added later on? Does the design allow this change easily or not? What if a role has to be removed? Whether all the roles present in the real time domain should go into the software system at all? An architect’s concern would be how to manage the interaction of modules and layers and which architecture to follow reviewing the trade offs related to speed, modifiability, etc.

So if my perception is correct and ‘design & architecture’ is different from ‘development’ then should developers call themselves engineers, when they are not fulfilling the role of an engineer? I would not prefer to call a job an engineering one unless it is related to whole lot of design decisions, architectural decisions and their documentation and modeling. Starting off from the domain model, use case model, vision document ending up somewhere around class diagram and partially final architecture diagrams. An architect may or may not take part in coding.

I remember when I started my internship I was given an individual project to start with and was expected to come up with the database design first up, and I was a kind of shocked that how am I supposed to jump unto database design before having gone through the ‘analysis’ phase, or without design documentation. However I fast forwarded through the design diagrams for my own understanding. But this was actually how work is done practically, and I find there is a gap in how things are being done in education and industry.

Later on came to know the same from other friends who were working at software houses that things are not done practically as we are taught in university. Most people think that they don’t have this much time, where as in books we have read that time spent on design and architecture is the most beneficial. Many people believe that documenting or not documenting design is not a concern on professional level, as both ways bugs are produced!

My question here is that all that we learned throughout our degree, and all that we drew so much, are they just fairy tales? Or can they really be implemented in real time settings and larger scope projects? Are these methodologies (RUP, Agile, XP) actually followed or is it possible to completely follow them? most importantly: Does the industry differ between a developer and an Engineer? (If the answer is yes, then why are universities offering two lines i.e. computer science and software engineering?)or do they (the companies) just need 'code writers'?

Time Value of Greeting Cards

Once in financial accounting class I was surprised to know about the 'time value' of money, i really disliked the concept that 'money' is already given lot of value and its value should not be incremented with time, however those were hard facts of material world! same is the case with greeting cards their value increases exponentially with time, This fact was disclosed unto me once i came across a bunch of cards in my possession!

Academic Evaluation

‘Evaluation’ in our academic system seems to be taking its roots from the concept of ‘day of judgment’ in Islam. Evaluation expressed in the form of ‘marks’ is based on just one big day, and that big day is all about jotting down what you have been asked and what you know, and if the student is not physically or mentally well that day or on that great day your thoughts are not co-operating well with words or you can’t turn up in the battle field then its your personal issue  the authorities or the teachers are least concerned and you ‘have’ to fail the course/subject. And the student has to wait for the same great big day next year! And trust me if you’re a chosen one then the same might happen to you the next year too!

Well, getting out of this nightmare, let’s see how to alter our system to correct this problem. A student should be constantly monitored and evaluated this would keep the student in action throughout the session and a lot of involvement from the side of the teachers would be required. This way stronger areas of the student would be explored and weaker areas be addressed. This sort of evaluation would require teachers’ attention towards each and every student and the students would really need to show their efforts.

The effort and focus of the student should be evaluated rather than outcomes in the form of words jotted down.

Methods should be revisited, competitions, quizzes, creative and collaborative work should be promoted. The teacher should impart interest in his subject and teach the student how to explore and learn themselves. Right now teachers impart horror rather than interest; they would tell the students how horrible it would be if they fail. And lets make a note what failure means here: its falling short of marks! Even if you have enough command over the subject, even if you’ve tried to learn.

Evaluation should not be about gauging how well a student can memorize and express himself rather it should be about the command of the student over the subject the knowledge base the student has developed over time. This knowledge base cannot be solely measured with written examinations, because two students having the same level of knowledge might not perform the same in written examinations. Every student does not have the same capabilities. If the same knowledge is input to a number of students(assuming they have absorbed it all) the outcomes would be different from learner to learner. Some might write well, some might come up with practical implications of the knowledge and some may speak very well about it. So writing is not the only faculty to rely upon alone.

Quitters never win!

We are so used to some habits that we never realize being habitual to it.

Whatever goes wrong in our country there is one clear demand that surfaces from people in general: ‘resignation’. We demand people to quit where change of faces can give us nothing when we need change of policy! And it’s a general trend to appreciate quitters. Those who resign are appreciated by everyone, though in some situations a resignation really is required but it is not a generic solution to every problem.                  

This attitude continues at personal level, for me at least, when I initially started my job my immediate reaction to stuck work used to be ‘I am quitting’ without realizing that it is easier to find a solution then to cry over the problem. This goes on, something goes wrong and I would de activate or delete my Facebook account assuming that I can’t face the world, I can’t answer what people would ask, such and such xyz people would remind me of such and such xyz incidents, and justifications go on.  Every time I would seek refuge in deleting or deactivating my account to get distracted or to hide whatever. Which was wrong totally wrong, they say winners never quit and quitters never win! True indeed. One should rather face the music rather than hiding from situations.

So I have decided one thing if one is good at quitting then one should quit being a quitter.

Bomb Psychology

I happened to see my nephews and nieces playing one day, they were all ready for some sort of an act, their seriousness made me observe more closely (without having been noticed of course). All of them are under seven years of age, here goes their scene: the youngest of them was walking when suddenly the other one made the sound of a bomb explosion! The passerby fell down then everyone else rushed to help him, pick him up and one of them very thoughtfully stated making the police siren sound!! The little bomber also ran with them and was seriously prompted by the eldest that “you’re dead; you’re not supposed to wake up” though a lot of innocence was involved in this act and they looked so cute while performing but this was really shocking to see.


I was really astonished to see their familiarity with the whole process! I mean they knew that first a person blows himself up, the police always comes ‘after’ the incident, and people get hurt.  For once I literally thought someone should play Rehman Malik in this scene!

To me this is the bomb psychology that this generation is growing up with; they are being brought up with this insensitivity towards the value of ‘life’, promoting the general attitude of not bothering unless you are actually a part of it! After all it’s their childhood game. Unfortunately, this insensitivity is gradually being promoted among all of us in Pakistan.

And we don’t even see the writers, the thinkers from the new generation to come forward and jerk the sleeping humanity. We have seen lots of work from the poets, writers, thinkers belonging to the pre-partition era though the situation we face now is even worse, but no one bothers! Those who dare to read at all are more inclined towards the likes of wasi shah and many have yet to return from the world of harry potter, while other have got their headphones on so they might not be in a mood to think or do anything! and not to mention thoe virtually living in bollywood. Our attitude needs to be revised.

But still lets appreciate when someone tries to make us think, this video and song is artistically done, ‘mein to dekhonga’ is an absolute click! Though ‘dekhonga’(I’ll see) should be replaced by ‘karonga’(I’ll do), still it has awesome lyrics especially the punch line ‘jab roti sasti hogi aur mehngi hogi jaan’


The effects in this video paint the picture of a desert, sunny and dried up, but they talk of hope! hope for the future! as they have the next generation in front of them.