6 ms·

Although it is a bit goddy for my tastes, I've always liked the Ritual Calling of the Engineer and the Iron Ring that goes with it, which is unusual because I'm

• darthpanda 16y ago
  Yeah some good points in there. But it reads like Tolkien.
• jrbedard 16y ago
  Pet peeve for me too, specially at Silicon Valley startups, where a political science grad student who codes some Ruby on Rails on the side, joins the company as a "Senior Software Engineer".
• joegaudet 16y ago
  I couldn't agree more, that's why I like that in Canada you have to be a PEng to get to out right call your self an engineer on your resume or business card. Me personally I am an EIT (Engineer in Training) which means I have a degree but not enough work experience (you need 4 years under a PEng) to be a full fledged Engineer.
  • dmm 16y ago
    Regardless of what the official reasons stated for the creation of such government enforced monopolies on professional titles are, the true motivations are always the same: protectionism. Requiring someone to have an official certification and then limiting the number of such certifications, either explicitly or implicitly by requiring extensive education and experience, reduces the number of certified individuals, resulting in higher wages.
    • rbanffy 16y ago
      Would you be fine flying planes designed and built by professionals without extensive education and experience? I thought so...
      • WiseWeasel 16y ago
        I would like my airplanes designed by nothing less than certified professional wizards.
        • rbanffy 16y ago
          Well... As long as they are really good at making planes, I'd be fine too.
      • dmm 16y ago
        I believe it is a mistake to assume that engineering certifications ensure that engineers are experienced professionals. I think it is far more normal for engineers to do a few years of actual engineering out of school before they are scooped up into management. My father makes good money fixing the mistakes of professional engineers. And most of the mistakes he encounters are simply the result of poor experience.
    • joegaudet 16y ago
      Actually, this was created to protect the public safety. To ensure that no one was holding them self out to be an engineer without evidence that they had the credentials to back it up. The government didn't create this distinction, Canadian Engineers did. After a bridge in Quebec city fell down killing many workers in a completely avoidable accident, a group of Engineers met and determined that there should be an organization to encourage both good work, and the passing on of information to the next generation of engineers. "The Engineering Institute of Canada agreed there should be a ceremony or a standard of ethics that should be developed for graduating engineers. They requested the assistance of Rudyard Kipling for the development of a suitable ceremony or ritual" The goal here was never to make more money, in fact lots of engineers don't make massive piles of money. The goal of this tradition was to impart a system of ethics and obligation on graduating engineers to remind them of their duty to the public to do good work. .joe
  • jrbedard 16y ago
    In Québec, to call yourself an Engineer and join the OIQ (Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec), post-graduation, you need to work for 3 years as an EIT, then pass a 3 part exam about the profession.
  • ertyuiop 16y ago
    The problem is in canada that an engineering degree is ALL that's required to be an engineer but is also the ONLY thing that's required. I work with a team building satellites, we have physics PhDs. But we aren't engineers, so we aren't recognised professionals = we have to be in the union, we can't be mangers - while the lowest 'engineer in training' with a pass grade in an engineering degree is an exempt employee that can be promoted to a 'professional' post.
    • jarek 16y ago
      That's incorrect on both fields. First, in addition to the degree you need to pass the professional engineering examinations administered by your provincial association. Second, at least in Ontario you can indeed get licensed as a professional engineer without having an engineering degree if your background and skills are deemed sufficient. Since licenses are portable between provinces, I would imagine this is the case in other provinces as well. "If you do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering from a program accredited by the CEAB, your academic background will be assessed by PEO to determine whether it is equivalent to the established standards. PEO will assign technical exams to give you an opportunity to confirm (Confirmatory Examination Program) that your academic preparation is equivalent or to remedy any identified deficiencies (Specific Examination Program). If you have been assigned a Confirmatory Examination Program and have more than five years of engineering experience, PEO may grant you an interview with its Experience Requirements Committee (ERC) to determine if your experience provides any basis to warrant exam relief." http://www.peo.on.ca/registration/education.html http://www.peo.on.ca/registration/education.html
• rbanffy 16y ago
  There is not one day I do not abide by the oath (slightly different, as I live in Brazil) that I took when receiving the title of Engineer. It's my craft and I take it very, very seriously. Interestingly, I never signed anything as "Engº Ricardo Bánffy"...