Originally posted by Scott Raymond
spam hater <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Zaf wrote:
>
> > [email protected] (Hanker) wrote in message
> > news:<[email protected]>...
> >> > "The Reeper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >> > news:<[email protected]>...
> >> Would be an excellent choice Peter, this country needs all the engineers it can get.
> >> (software especially, btw)
> >
> > This term software engineer always bothered me. Could be I'm biased, but it seemed to me Bill
> > Gates started this term so he could claim to
> Lets see: BS in ELectrical Engineering, Nearly completed MS in Comp Sci/Software Analysis.
>
> This included: 2 years of Physics 2 years of semi-conductor Physics 2 years of software structure
> and architecture 2 years of Advanced Hardware Design (both Analog and Hardware) Statics, Dynamics,
> Materials Science, Chemistry More fscking math, including partial differential equations,
> calculus, calculus and MORE calculus.
>
> Oh... and ELECTROMAGNETICS and Laser Theory.
>
> Not to mention the assorted classes in Philosophy, Engr Economics, Macro/Micro Econ, and technical
> writing.
>
> So.. before anyone says that Software Engineering is not engineering, then I ask them to step up
> to the plate and show me what they did to accomplish their career.
>
> Joe 'Yeah! I get touchy when my career is slapped!' Cipale
Joe: I've got a simple test I use for the appropriate use of the title "engineer". Is the claimant
entitled to sit for a PE exam? If so, sounds good... if not, he's (in the gender neutral sense, of
course) posing.
There are exams for the following:
• PE Agricultural • PE Architectural • PE Chemical • PE Civil • PE Control Systems • PE Electrical
and Computer • PE Environmental • PE Fire Protection • PE Industrial • PE Manufacturing • PE
Mechanical • PE Metallurgical • PE Mining and Mineral • PE Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• PE Nuclear • PE Petroleum • PE Structural I • PE Structural II
I don't see PE Software Engineering anywhere on the list
Scott-
Licensing of engineers was established mostly "in order to safeguard life, health, property, and public welfare" so that may not be a good yardstick to judge whether or not someone's job qualifies as engineering. There's also a PE exam for Traffic Engineering which probably has much less to do with engineering than Software Engineering does but it certainly involves public safety. Traffic Engineers are probably mostly Civil Engineers who've taken another exam so I'm not saying they aren't worthy of the title Engineer - just that other job functions that don't have PE exams could be worthy of it also. Certainly the title Engineer has been watered down in the last generation, but it's no dilution to include software engineers in my opinion.
