Sure there is room for more people to become software developers, but let's not use the word 'profession'.
Quote from Steve McConnell:
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According to legal precedents, a profession has:[1]
· A requirement for extensive learning and training
· A code of ethics imposing standards higher than those normally tolerated in the marketplace
· A disciplinary system for professionals who breach the code
· A primary emphasis on social responsibility over strictly individual gain, and a corresponding duty of its members to behave as members of a disciplined and honorable profession
· A prerequisite of a license prior to admission to practice
Software development in general hardly meets those qualifications. There are plenty of professional software developers, but software development is not a profession. This is a critical distinction, not just semantics.
Quote from Steve McConnell:
——————————
According to legal precedents, a profession has:[1]
· A requirement for extensive learning and training
· A code of ethics imposing standards higher than those normally tolerated in the marketplace
· A disciplinary system for professionals who breach the code
· A primary emphasis on social responsibility over strictly individual gain, and a corresponding duty of its members to behave as members of a disciplined and honorable profession
· A prerequisite of a license prior to admission to practice
——————————
http://www.stevemcconnell.com/psd/06-novumorganum.htm
Software development in general hardly meets those qualifications. There are plenty of professional software developers, but software development is not a profession. This is a critical distinction, not just semantics.