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Comment by r_lee | Hacker News Reader

So what about like "mechanical engineers" or "process engineers" or "hardware engineer" or "biomedical engineers" etc?

> I don't know why that database was ever put into a computer, instead of filing cabinets in a vault, nor why it was ever connected to any other system, and not completely air-gapped in said vault, with manual controlled exfiltration of data upon request.

I suspect this is not because of the fake engineers but rather because other forces, e.g. management wanted more efficiency and security was the last item on the list. I don't see how changing job titles would change anything here

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FYI: Mechanical and hardware engineers, in the appropriate language of the country, are already protected engineering titles in a lot of European countries.

Calling yourself a „dipl. Ing. <X>“ would be a crime if you don’t possess the appropriate degree.

Yes, but at least in Germany the "Dipl." makes the difference. I think it'd be OK to call yourself a "Software Engineer" without a degree and this is what many people do.

AFAIK the actual reason why „Software Engineer“ is ok is because it’s in English.

Pretending to be an „Ingenieur“ is illegal unless you have the paper to back it up. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be a university paper, there are older trade papers that also work.

I thought so too, but I lost that argument a couple of years ago and was persuaded that "Ingenieur" alone can't be challenged.

Unfortunately I don't remember the details. I'd be happy to learn I was right after all;-)

I think the OP was talking about licensing and regulation. Licensed engineers have more power to push back on management. It’s not perfect but giving a licensed engineer the legal authority to say “No this isn’t safe. I won’t sign off on it.” goes a long way in the civil engineering world.

Yes, because it's their signature that actually has the weight of expertise. Similarly, their ass will be on the line if something goes wrong, not the management's.

Does not fully stop the pressure ("we'll find another licensed engineer to retain"), but at least ensures a somewhat level playing field between expertise and investors.

Some mechanical engineers are "professional engineers". That title is a legal liability for messing up. While most of the work designing a skyscraper belongs to any civil engineer, it won't be built until a professional engineer puts his legal mark on it being safe. In turn a professional engineer has the power and legal responsibility to tell management no and he will win against all their pressure. (though sometimes that means the company builds nothing and goes out of business forcing him to find a new job)

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