> every kind of engineering other than "software engineering" requires occupational licensing No, it doesn't.[1] Licensure is required for an engineer to pro

> every kind of engineering other than "software engineering" requires occupational licensing No, it doesn't.[1] Licensure is required for an engineer to provide engineering services "to the public". The largest group who do not require licensure are those who fit into the "industrial exemption", engineers employed by a company to work on products manufactured and sold by said company. This particularly affects electrical and mechanical engineers. I was an electrical engineer for four years to start my career, and I never even took the FE exam. It likely would have limited my career progression at some point, but it never would stop me from working as an engineer. [1] In the US. Since this article is from The Atlantic and is about "Life in the Simpsons", I am going to assume the US for the context of everything I say.