Anyone can be an engineer. If you don't have a PE or an ABET accredited engineering degree then you may still be an engineer, although most likely you're somet

Anyone can be an engineer. If you don't have a PE or an ABET accredited engineering degree then you may still be an engineer, although most likely you're something closer to a technologist (although your skills may be both more valuable and more in demand than an engineer's). I have met maybe two people in my life that have learned the kind of first principles physics and mathematics basis outside of formal channels of academia or licensure. It's just really inconvenient and probably an inefficient use of time for most people to learn to be a classical engineer when you can make more or better by getting damn good at applying some technology (programming, welding, trucking, whatever).