Software engineering is becoming more mainstream and so there is some natural title inflation that happens. I'd guess that some more obscure trade, say Bonsai tree making, probably has more normal and uninfected titles, but if it ever went corporate then someone with two years experience would suddenly be a journeyman or whatever.<p>However, in software, I think it's also interesting to consider the effects of the field transitioning to be one of the defacto type-A careers (formerly investment banking and consulting). These people demand performative career advancement (that's why they let you call yourself Vice President (banks) or Partner (McKinsey) when you're still in your 20s. So it's only natural that software is pushed hard as a field to develop a hierarchy that let's insecure climbers show off how far they have come.