So certification is more than just an exam. Usually it implies receiving accredited post-secondary education and registration with your governing body and going

So certification is more than just an exam. Usually it implies receiving accredited post-secondary education and registration with your governing body and going through a mentorship with an existing P.Eng. So in my case I got a B.ASc degree, joined my provincial regulatory body, wrote an ethics/law exam and did a 48 month mentorship. Now, the reason things are treated this way for Professional Engineers is rooted in history. I can't say that I believe all that is entirely necessary for all software engineers but if we're to use the title we follow the rules. Really, the ideal system is self serving. You create a framework of professionals that self-govern. The Professionals appointed/elected to the governing body are responsible for ensuring the certification is relevant to the profession. I somewhat prefer the mentorship program over testing individuals on knowledge in their domain because your mentor(s) will be a better judge that you're understanding concepts, regulations, rules, and needs better than any exam will test for. Like you said, knowledge that I apply on my career is very different from knowledge you apply in yours. Another thing that I want to say though is that I don't feel certification is necessary in software unless you're in a position that carries potential harm to a person's safety/wellbeing. There's a few exceptions to what that entails exactly but that's not really the point of this discussion. Generally speaking, I don't want someone with a layman's understanding of code to be programming things where a person can lose their life due to an oversight. In the same way that Professional Engineers in Civil, Mechanical, etc. use their professional seal to say that "my specs meet all relevant modern standards of safety/design/etc", I want software engineers programming that medical device or safety equipment have the same accountability. Currently there isn't an international recognition of "Software Engineer" as a title to say who is working on that device has been vouched for professionally.