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"Matthew S. Whiting" <[log in to unmask]>
Sat, 26 Jul 1997 00:25:08 -0700
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Michael Feldman wrote:
>

> My problem with Software "Engineering" is that - unlike all other
> more traditional engineering disciplines - it has no generally agreed
> definition, no recognized curriculum accreditation (at least in the US),
> no licensing process, no nothing. ANYONE can legally print business cards
> saying "software engineer." Depending on the perception of the
> reader of this business card, the title can be either true or completely
> bogus, because without a definition, nobody knows what it is, so it
> can be anything at all. This may sound rather abstract and pedantic,
> but it's true!

It may be true that anyone can print business cards with "software
engineer" on them, but in most states if they sell their services to the
public using the term "engineer" (software or otherwise) they can be
liable to sanctions by the state.  Most states, last I knew anyway,
prohibited the use of engineer or engineering by anyone other than a
holder of the P.E. license.
I obtained my P.E. several years ago and have never "used" it as I work
for a corporation, but the regulations in NY were pretty clear on who
could and could not hold themselves out to the public as an engineer.
And a person not holding a P.E. license and current registration could
not!

Matt

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