An aspiring Information Systems professional may find that there not many outstanding role models to emulate in this industry. Many of the traits of a software professional described in the following paragraphs are found in a cluster of teams or communities of people. They are exhibited by individuals often when collectively achieving large scale work.
The software industry is about 50 years old and borrowed some discipline from the engineering industries from the last 20-25 years. Observe any matured professional from other knowledge professions such as a mathematician, lawyer/ doctor/ structural, automobile engineer/ poet/ journalist/ researcher / or a mentor. There are special skills that enable them to stand out as individuals and also contribute to the benefit of the society/ community.
The software professional
- analyses issues like a mathematician not in just one subject area
- works on projects similar to a lawyer's cases with no clues to start with and not knowing at times whether to defend or oppose the case on hand
- acts as a family physician not knowing ahead of time what needs to be cured
- plans and produces blue prints like a draftsperson or structural engineer with no measurable metrics and no physical structures raised
- integrates parts like an automobile engineer with intangible components
- creates products that resemble big epics or small poems with nothing abstract and always expected outcomes
- investigates a problem to be resolved like a journalist without going places and has no news to report
- researches on subject matter and mentors others without much published evidence
This is not a complete list after all.
The list illustrates one thing about the industry and its people.
It is clear that no analogy between Software Engineers and other knowledge professionals can be singled out for obvious reasons. The Software engineer's profession sounds simple, yet there are several unexplained complexities that are experienced while on the job. This certainly has an analogy. The software engineer's profession needs to be experienced just as the life of a human being.
Yet, great expectations can be set and achieved with just a pencil and paper to start with.
The tools used and skills of the professionals are about accomodating contrasts. It is the diversity of skills that contributes and really counts.
Points to Ponder:
How often are the majority of skills singled out in an individual?
Are some skills contradicting others?
How are the matured professionals identified?
How long can an aspiring software professional continue to exhibit each of these skills during the system's life cycle?
How can they be led, managed and encouraged?
