18.5 Software Engineering Skills

There are two disparate views about software engineering. According to the first, improving the quality and reducing the cost of developing software- intensive systems requires improving the techniques, technologies, process, methods , and tools. According to the second perspective, the solution does not require that you improve the tools, only that you improve users' abilities to apply them. Both perspectives are equally valid in modernizing legacy systems.

Generally speaking, the old generation of developers must gain knowledge of new technologies. At the same time, the new generation must pick up best-of-breed development skills through teaching and experience. Both generations need to learn integration skills. The next generation integrator/developer will require many more skills and experiences and will have to adapt on the fly. This places a premium on developers who embrace new challenges and skill sets.