Re: Continual Professional Development
It's a nice idea but with the ongoing world shortage of software developers and the 'need' for rapid development I don't think it will ever fly. And truth is it's probably not necessary. The careers you mention all carry serious health and legal implications if things go wrong. Lives can be lost or irrevocably damaged. Whilst the same is true for some software development most of us don't do anything that important or risky.
I've been developing software for nearly 40 years and throughout that time if I screwed up and my code was wrong it mostly just meant restarting the application and/or avoiding a particular feature or using it in a specific way. Annoying, yes, but no real harm done. For better or for worse most software only has to be 'adequate'.
Software development is also slightly different in that issues can be fixed quicker and for less cost than most disciplines. Some can be fixed on the fly and most can be fixed by a simple exit application, apply an update, restart the application cycle which might only mean ten minutes of downtime.
Would it be a different world if all software was developed to the same rigorous standards as medicine or law (ha ha) is practised to? For sure. Software would be developing at a far slower pace, probably to the accompaniment of hordes of lawyers. I'm not convinced it would be a better world.
I'd also argue that most software developers get paid quite well for their work simply because they have scarcity value and are in high demand. I've only felt underpaid once in my career that was in my first job so to be expected. At age 53 I've earned enough to be able to retire any day now when the need for more golf becomes unbearable. I'd say I've had a lucrative career.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
