software developer
Let an agent explain the software developer occupation and its specialisations, relay skills, education, employment and working practices from labour statistics and industry sources, describe the kinds the registry aliases name, and distinguish software developers from software engineers, programmers, IT administrators and data scientists.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain the software developer occupation and its specialisations, relay skills, education, employment and working practices from labour statistics and industry sources, describe the kinds the registry aliases name, and distinguish software developers from software engineers, programmers, IT administrators and data scientists.
A person who designs, writes, tests and maintains software, including mobile app developers, video game developers and solo game developers, video game campaign designers, open-source developers and software development consultants; the occupation ranges from programming to architecture and is one of the largest professional groups in technology.
What it is for: Building and maintaining software.
It can be explain the occupation; relay skills and employment; describe specialisations; distinguish related roles.
Distinguishing features
Writes and maintains code
Many specialisations
Large workforce
Varied paths
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a person working with code.
Physical character
US employment: about 1.7 million - 2023 BLS, developers and testers
ISCO-08 code: 2512 note - software developers
typical education: degree or self-taught note
How it is recognised
Person who builds software
Mobile app developer, video game developer, solo game developer, campaign designer, open-source developer, development consultant
Software engineers apply engineering discipline; programmers write code; administrators run systems; data scientists analyse data
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in ISCO terms
produces - as work product
is contrasted with - who runs systems
In practice
Families and kinds
application and mobile app developers
web developers
video game developers and solo developers
game campaign and level designers
open-source developers
software development consultants
embedded and systems developers
Identifiers
ISCO-08 2512 software developers
Standards and regulation
Professional codes such as the ACM Code of Ethics
Labour and employment law
Licensing in some jurisdictions for safety-critical work
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing developer with engineer or programmer titles
Registry aliases mixing roles and specialisations
Stale employment figures
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What a software developer is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a software developer, and how does the role differ from software engineer, programmer, administrator and data scientist? definition
- Is the question about the occupation, a specialisation, careers or employment? boundary
Kinds
Specialisations.
Kinds
Kinds.
- What do mobile app, video game, solo game, campaign design, open-source and consultant developers do? definition
- Which entry fits the specific specialisation? action
Work Skills and work.
Sources.
Skills
Skills.
Skills
Skills.
- What skills, languages and tools do developers use? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Practices
Practices.
Practices
Practices.
- How do developers work in teams, with agile methods, version control and code review? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Career Career and employment.
Application.
Education
Education and paths.
Education
Education.
- How do people become developers, through degrees, bootcamps or self-teaching? provenance
- Which entry fits computer science education? action
Employment
Employment.
Employment
Employment.
- What do labour statistics say about employment, pay and outlook? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific country s statistics? action
Context History and ethics.
Context.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did the occupation develop from early programmers to today? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of software engineering? action
Ethics
Ethics.
Ethics
Ethics.
- What professional and ethical responsibilities do developers have? provenance
- Which entry fits computer ethics? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should video game developer and open-source developer be separate primary entries?
- How should labour statistics sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming specialisations; should they be split off?