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> To get my degree accredited in Canada, I must work some huge number of hours as a Software Engineer working with Software Engineers. But of course, there is n
by slavik81 10y ago
> To get my degree accredited in Canada, I must work some huge number of hours as a Software Engineer working with Software Engineers. But of course, there is no such thing in Canada, and so... yeah.
We exist. I'm a Canadian P.Eng. (Software). I got my experience working on software for controlling unmanned vehicles, and I know a few dozen other Software P.Engs.
Requiring some amount of local experience makes sense, as a major part of engineering is ensuring your project abides by all local laws that govern what you're doing.
Getting the required work experience under the supervision of another engineer is a lot rarer than in other disciplines, but on the bright side, that P.Eng. title is required a lot less often than in other disciplines.
With that being said, it certainly is difficult for foreign engineers to get their degrees recognized. If any improvement is to be made on that front, the government almost certainly will need to prod the engineering associations into doing a better job of evaluating foreign credentials.
- cholantesh 10y agoI've considered getting my P.Eng. once I complete my degree; do you feel that it's a worthwhile credential to have? Every P.Eng. that I've met has been involved in mechanical or electrical engineering, so I'd like to get the perspective of someone in software.
- slavik81 10y agoI've never used it, as I quit my job and went into grad school about the time I got it. There are possible career benefits, though they're not huge. The company I left was just starting to require a software engineer on every team to sign off on each release. And, my father convinced me to do the paperwork for the P.Eng. with a story of a raise he missed out on due to not bothering with the P.Eng. despite holding an engineering degree.
- cholantesh 10y agoThanks for the perspective; seems like, in the aggregate, it's not really worth it for professionals in our line of work. :/
- kevin_thibedeau 10y agoIn the US it's only of use in industries where life safety is important (you have to sign off on potentially harmful technology) or to serve as an expert witness in court. Getting one generally requires at least one existing PE who can vouch for the quality of your work which creates a chicken and egg problem if there are no PEs where you work.
- cholantesh 10y agoThanks; this was my suspicion, too. The other PEs I've spoken to were bewildered that I'd consider it, given that they needed it basically to get managerial/senior engineering positions on public sector projects.
- mahyarm 10y agoAs a Canadian, the career benefit is zilch, because most of Canada's software career opportunities pale in comparison to the USA (pay is half or less, house prices are pretty close in price in employment centers!) . And in the USA, nobody cares about that when you write software.
- grecy 10y agoOh wow, I had no idea. Thanks very much, there is hope! (And thanks to all the other replies too!)