I think there is some confusion here between programming, which is a skill; and engineering which is the application of knowledge. Of course programmers don't

I think there is some confusion here between programming, which is a skill; and engineering which is the application of knowledge. Of course programmers don't need degrees, the same way that good builders, carpenters, electricians etc. Don't need degrees. In fact, I've always believed there should be trade schools for programming, that programmers should unionize etc. etc. Engineering is typically a different set of skills altogether. It's about understanding how to analyse reality, combine them with ideas in your mind, and guide those ideas back into the real world. Civil and Electrical Engineers working in construction never lay a brick or run a wire (in fact, often there is legislation preventing them from doing so). But a construction project could never proceed without the careful analysis that engineers bring to the table.