"Software Engineering" - Whatever That Means
If a programmer hands you her business card, it probably wont list her title as Programmer; It is more likely to read Software Engineer. This raises the interesting question: does a programmers daily job rise to the level of an engineering discipline? I think it would be more accurate to call programming an emerging engineering discipline.

Evolution of the Field
Since around 1975, various people have tried valiantly to impose discipline on the chaotic, egocentric, idiosyncratic practice of programming. And just at the turn of the century some professional institutions have started to establish the core competencies that would let a programmer call herself a software engineer.

Vision of the Future
Will we see the transformation complete: will programmers be licensed and regulated like other engineers? Personally, I think its too early to bet one way or the other - programmers are remarkably individualistic and there will be be very strong resistance to regulating what they regard as their craft. On the other hand, offshore development and the rise of software-based lawsuits are changing the landscape much as barbed wire changed the American west of the 19th century. If youd like my prediction, ask me again in a decade.

Today's Situation
But if you are going to work in the world of the programmer, youll have to understand some of the standard ways in which complex software is constructed. If you want to sound erudite, you can refer to them as software development methodologies or development models, but if youre talking to a programmer youre better off asking, So, how do you folks build software around here?