“Keeping you up to date with everything software engineering!”

Interview with David Cunningham

Interviews | September 26, 2004 | 5 comments

We have added a new feature to Protose. We have started interviewing members of the software engineering community so to give members an idea what other software engineers are up to. We hope you like this new feature.

For our first interview we interviewed one of my closest friends and former classmates David Cunningham. I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed doing it!

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Let’s cut to the chase, who are you and where are you now?

David Cunningham, I live in Montreal, Quebec, and I work at Discreet (formerly known as Discreet Logic - and owned by Autodesk).

What do you do at Discreet?

I’m a software developer working on 3ds max. I develop features for upcoming versions of the products. Max 7, coming soon to stores near you!

Where did you study Software Engineering and how would you describe your experience? Did you spend more time at the university bar or playing Quake when you should of been studying? :-)

I went to Concordia, in the first class of Software Engineers to graduate from there. Concordia was the third school to offer the program in Canada, I believe. My experience was positive and a little out of the ordinary. Since we were the first class and we were a relatively small group (20+ students), we had to go through the growing pains of the program. Though some courses seemed a little underprepared, we had others that were fantastic and unlike anything being offered in the CS department at the time. We also had some extremely good professors who took these courses very seriously, especially since they were the being offered for the first time.

My procrastination was evenly split between the bar and the “lab”. The “lab” being “my bedroom”, playing, yes, Quake 3. Which is good, because you haven’t really mastered the rocket launcher unless you’ve been playing for a year-and-half. And who really has the time once you’re out of school?

Do you work with any other software engineers?

No, not with software engineering degrees, though I did at Lockheed Martin (you know who you are.)

Do you find it hard to be a software engineer amongst computer scientists? Is there a divide or is it not as bad as people make it seem?

Not at all. There is a divide - I’ve found that computer scientists think more about the math behind programming, and less about the software process. Both are important, and I don’t feel like there’s anything to develop a complex about. In general, I’ve found that I tend to know a little more about software design, usability, process management and improvement, and software architectural concepts, whereas most comp scis that I’ve worked with are kick-ass at writing tight code, algorithm analysis, and know the ins and outs of programming languages that they work in. Generally I’ve found that their mathematical background is stronger, which is natural given that comp sci is tradionally a math program. As always, these are not hard-fast rules. In fact, I’ve met a lot of co-workers who have a very strong interest in soft eng matters, though they were trained as computer scientists. In a lot of cases, it was simply that software engineering didn’t exist when they did their studies. For others, the interest is there, but they don’t see such a strong distinction between computer science and software engineering, which is fine as well.

I think a good organization needs both types of employees, and I don’t think there’s anything to fuss about on that end.

Why did you choose to become a software engineer as opposed to a basket weever?

I’ve been playing with computers since I was five, though I wasn’t the type to write a 16-bit, DOS-based rendering system in grade 10 or anything. I only started programming in Cegep, when I took a C++ class. Before that I was a power - read: frequent - user. When I was a kid, I always thought the coolest job in the world would be to make video games. I went through a phase where I thought that computers weren’t cool enough, that I’d rather go in the arts, go into something creative, etc. Then, in Cegep, I was pretty convinced I was going to do something related to physics or math… until I took that programming course. This just wasn’t another class that I had to pass; I absorbed programming. I threw myself into it. That changed my mind pretty quickly, cause if the glove fits…

I applied to Concordia as a Comp Sci major. After talking to an adviser (Dr. Seksena I believe his name was, for old-timers), he managed to convince me that Software Engineering was the program for me, even if it was just beginning that year. Worked for me, I guess.

Are you a professional engineer?

Actually, no, though I have begun the process of becoming a professional engineer. Unfortunately, in many software domains, being an engineer doesn’t change all that much. I used to work at Lockheed Martin, and in that context getting your P. Eng. makes sense, but now I work for a company that has beer-and-chips Fridays and open-bar parties. They don’t care so much whether I’m a P. Eng. or not. It’s not that kind of place. It’s something that does matter to me, or at least that I value and respect, which isn’t the case for other engineers I know (from any engineering discipline, not just software.)

Do you find it important as a software engineer to become a professional engineer?

Tough question. I think it is important, but not for traditional reasons. Software Engineering is still a brand-new profession, and as such it would benefit all of us if we established the credibility of the program (regardless of the school you graduated from.) I’ll be happy when I can answer someone one day and say “I’m a Software Engineer”, and they’ll just know what I mean. That probably won’t happen for another decade, though.

Being a professional engineer is a privilege as well, and one that should be taken advantage of. It’s just useful. As a professional, your personal credibility goes up. You can sign for passports, get rebates on car insurance, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it helped your credit rating. You studied 4 years in a tough program, so you should claim the title you deserve.

That’s all in theory, though. In practise I’ve found the Engineering Society to be tough to deal with and slightly inflexible, and the fees feel like a real rip-off sometimes.

Bottom line: If your work will pay for it (many companies will), then you have no reason not to join.

What is the 3 most important things you have learnt in school that you use today?

• How to research technologies.
• Design Patterns
• User Interface Design

Did you consider doing a CS degree? Do you think you would be much different if you decided to do a CS degree over an engineering degree?

Yes I did, and as I said, I was convinced otherwise.

Sure, it would be different. It would have been a different experience altogether I think. Whether it would have better or worse is impossible to say.

Did you attend CUSEC and how do you feel it added to your experience as a student?

Sure, I’ve attended CUSEC a number of times, once as a student. I found it especially important as a student, because it opened up the world of Software Engineering to me. It became more than just a program at Concordia… It made me realize that the field is in full growth, and it presented new aspects of Soft Eng that weren’t necessarily covered in our classes. I highly recommend it to anyone who is currently studying.

I also attended as a professional, and even sat on an Expert’s Panel discussion (I being an expert at being a student), which was a lot of fun.

Are there any people that you look up to within the software engineering community? People that you really like their work and or aspire to become like one day?

Honestly, not really. I like some of Spolsky’s work, but he sometimes comes off as more of a pragmatist, and less of a Software Engineer. In general, I hear nuggets of truth and insight from various people, but I don’t aspire to be like anyone in the field, per se.

What is the latest book you have read?

Professional: User Interface Design for Programmers (Amazon: Canada, US) - excellent book, and I don’t consider myself to be a Spolsky zealot by any means. Good reading, too. I highly recommend it.

Personal: The Wolves of Calla (Amazon: Canada, US). If you know who the Gunslinger is, you know who I’m talking about. I also just completed “Dude, Where’s my country?” (Amazon: Canada, US), by Michael Moore Scary read, an very good companion to Fahrenheit 9/11.

Are you a geek? Come on be honest with yourself!

Sure, I’m a geek. I’m a lot of things, a geek being one of them. I remember watching the episode where Lieutenant Yar was killed by the mud monster when I was a kid, so go ahead and brand a big fat G on my ass.

Do you find that the ladies dig geeks? (I probably know this answer considering I spend most of my weekends with you but I wonder what your impression is)

My theories - male geek perspective, of course: Ladies will tolerate and even enjoy the fact that you’re a geek, as long as you know when to cut the geek shit out. Be proud of your geekiness, if that matters to you, but don’t flaunt it. Otherwise you’ll just look like a geek.

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If you enjoy these types of interviews please tell us so that we can bring you more interviews. Is there someone in specific you would like interviewed? Is there someone you yourself would like to interview for Protose? send us an email to john.kopanas [at] protose.org.

If you have any additional questions for Dave ask them in the comments section. Dave hangs out at Protose and will answer them.

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Comments

September 28, 2004 01:17 PM | Gili commented:

Surprisingly interesting :)

October 1, 2004 02:33 AM | Jenny Paine commented:

Hey Dave Good interview, gave me a great insight into what my baby cousin does for a living! Long time no speak, glad you’re doing so well. Best pics I’ve seen of you for a while! Jen

October 3, 2004 08:11 PM | Fred commented:

Very interesting read!!

Keep up the good work…

October 7, 2004 07:00 PM | Tief commented:

Very interesting !! I like the “real” approach of this article (Not too professional)

October 7, 2004 11:19 PM | panic commented:

Cool, nice Interview!

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