I find that the client often expects you to just code whatever they need without much interaction.

The truth is that requirements gathering is also a moment of discovery for the client.

I once had a client who had that written into the contract. I’d consider that a huge red flag now.

Where I live, most software developers are not legally allowed to call themselves software engineers (engineering is licensed by regulatory body). Still, many do call themselves that and so do their employers. But in my view, "I don't really care until we can start coding" is not actually engineering at all.

I’m not sure why you are making a point about engineering certification.

It’s not like physical products are immune to this problem. I could list you a billion poorly designed products that don’t seem to meet the correct requirements.

At the end of the day, some people just like to build stuff without understanding who they are building for. It could be because they like engineering. It could be because they think they will make money because “people will come if you build it.” Both strategies make poor solutions.

When it should be “the users have these specific problems and the product should make their life easier.”

> developers are not legally allowed to call themselves software engineers

How about "Solution Architect"?

I think a collection of nonsense job titles for computer programmers would be fun...

Every Solution Architect should have at least seven Framework Framers and two Data Plumbers supporting them, to give the title its proper gravitas.

Where I live we require a license for barbering and cosmetology. Apparently there are illegal haircuts. I have never heard of the hair police but I'm sure that people complain about it in fora.

I've come across some terrible programs written by almost-to-be-certified engineers :-) - lots of embedded constants and special cases.

I am perfectly happy to be called a "programmer" though. IMO that's a very adequate description and honourable. No need to steal anyone else's glory.

I am not a developer by trade but being technically capable I inherited a system once that I kept running beyond its real lifespan. Eventually it was to be replaced and an outside company was contracted to develop a new system. Despite multiple meetings in which I demonstrated the shortcomings of the current system and the workflow on which it was based, all this company did was replicated the old system in their chosen software stack (which also didn't really work because to old version was relational and theirs was no-sql). I got the impression that they already had an idea of what they were going to create and didn't listen at all. I've since moved on, but I hear the new system is worse than the old system.

TL;DR, I have direct experience of: “I don’t really care until we can start coding.”

> I feel that the real problem is a lot of people don’t care about collecting requirements.

As someone who _really_ enjoyed requirements gathering for many years and now has become one of the "I don't care let's just build it" people I can assure you that some of us crashed out thanks to Scrum Masters™, Project Managers™, Product Owners™, or any of the other big "A" Agile™ cronies.