I think rather than broadly comparing software engineering to other engineering professions in general, it would be more apt to compare it to plumbing specifica

I think rather than broadly comparing software engineering to other engineering professions in general, it would be more apt to compare it to plumbing specifically. Building bridges, planning houses and roads, etc often comes with strings attached because lives are at stake. Focusing on this distinction and then dismissing the argument as it's not applicable to software short of a few specific areas is easy, but missing the forest for the trees. Plumbing is a better comparison. Most of the time, there's no life-threatening danger involved (although there are exceptions). In general though, failures are simply both very unpleasant and get expensive fast. If you need to replace an old tap you may be able to do get it done on the cheap or even do it yourself, but if you want to run water for a whole building, you will most certainly want someone who comes with certifications, liability insurance, etc. In the long run, as a society we would benefit greatly from introducing varying kinds and levels of certification in the software industry, and for similar reasons. Like plumbing, there's no problem if you do smaller things around your own house. But if you want to build software that sits at the heart of say nationally important systems you should be tested before you're let at the wheel.