Does the world of software engineering need more matured engineers?

I get asked lots of questions on Quora and I often try my best to answer them, and this I was asked recently "Does the world of computer programming need more matured programmers?" Today I'm going to rephrase it for the same answer; Does the world of software engineering need more matured engineers?

We live in a world where 95% are doing the same things, and only 5% can stand out and be distinguished. The tech industry is no different.

Yes, the world of software engineering would benefit from more matured engineers, but you may ask; what distinguishes matured engineers from the rest?

(1) They are not emotionally attached to tools

We would benefit from engineers who can ignore industry hype, and not be fanatical about, or emotionally attached to, tools, and can identify and use the best tools for the job even if they are not familiar with such tools - that's maturity.

(2) They do not compromise on performance

In a world where there can only be enough system resources, and organizations need their users to have the best experience possible, we would benefit from engineers who would not trade performance for convenience - that's maturity.

(3) They explore, and consider opinions other than theirs

We would benefit from engineers who can see each situation as unique and can adapt their styles accordingly. I'm talking about engineers who are not stuck in their ways but can unlearn to learn, and also accept opinions other than theirs. I mean engineers who never say "...it's always been done this way..." - that's maturity.

(4) They take responsibility

Amongst engineers, there's a shirking platitude in the lines of "if something broke, it's the other guy's code, not mine" - if you are a Software Engineer you know what I'm talking about. We would benefit from engineers who understand that accepting responsibility is not the same as taking the blame, and are willing to do so, and not take the easy way out - that's maturity.

(5) They do not rush to coding

Whenever a project fails, the notorious reaction is to throw tantrums on the project manager, not recognizing the role the engineer may have played. Most engineers jump into writing code without first understanding the problem and gathering relevant requirements - quite often such project is doomed. We would benefit from engineers who can follow through the necessary process of problem-solving and deliver the best solution possible - that's maturity.

(6) They do not stop learning

A couple of months ago I read a post on LinkedIn about a survey on the biggest problems for technology professionals (as stated by professionals who participated), and I remember the first I saw was "career growth and future relevance". Most professionals were afraid that their positions would soon be replaced by machines, or the industry would just run past them. This I think affects engineers too but only engineers who stopped learning and improving themselves. Every organization would benefit from engineers who value personal growth and go out of their ways to learn and stay updated - that's maturity.

(7) They are not afraid to code from scratch

Finally, in a world where we are constantly trying to push the limits of technology to solve problems that either never existed or were simply not apparent to us, we would benefit from engineers who are resilient, confident, and ultimately understand algorithms, and are not afraid to code from scratch and implement those algorithms to solve complex problems - yes that's maturity.

This is by no means exhaustive, so what's your take on this? Do you think we need more matured engineers? And what do you think makes one? Let me know in the comment section.

You can find the original Quora answer here.