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Comment by ThrowOregonAway | Hacker News Reader

Technically you're not an engineer unless you're licensed and bonded and belong to a professional engineering society, or you drive a train, or have invented a unique engine. Period, end of discussion.

I know, I know. California changed their law so coders could puff themselves up and put on airs and make their resumes look more impressive. But this is a sad anomaly.

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I'm licensed by The Engineering Council in the UK for doing computery stuff, and by the relevant European body. I've been writing software for a living for most of my 40+ year career, and still do. So Chartered Software Engineers do exist.

But perhaps not in CA.

We have no such thing in the US. There is no license for software "engineering" here, it's a made up term.

There is in Canada, licensed and bonded.

As someone with a PhD in electrical engineering, I care exactly zero percent about a paid for stamp from an org calling an me engineer or not.

This is why the planes are falling out of the sky now, this attitude of yours. As an eminent master and founder of the entire field of electrical engineering, I am much more qualified than you to have an opinion on this matter as well.

This is nonsense. Your credibility’s (and mine) come from the body of work and associated experience. Not a stamp from an org that costs x dollars per year.

I would argue that planes are falling out of the sky because management types believed that getting somebody to take a test and get a stamp is sufficient to call somebody an engineer and delegate them critical work with irrespective of their work or experience.

Well my country didn't change the law, so I still think it's very weird how every american is an engineer.

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