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It's just an example. There's plenty of backend "engineers" who don't really engineer anything. This all leads back to a conversation one of my professors talk

It's just an example. There's plenty of backend "engineers" who don't really engineer anything. This all leads back to a conversation one of my professors talked about. In other engineering professions, you need to be licensed by the state. Software "Engineers" don't have this license, so anyone can go to bootcamp and become one. I think if we changed this, then we would be able to differentiate software engineers from simple developers and that would help engineers maintain their status above chatGPT for a while longer.

ramesh31 3y ago
100%. The vast majority of folks labelled as an "engineer" these days couldn't integrate x^2. But software is a different beast than bridges or power lines. It takes a creative streak that goes beyond that. And math is not the great filter in the same way it is for those disciplines. I don't think credentialism is the answer. But perhaps something more along the lines of trade licensing.
throwaway675309 3y ago
As a developer with a masters in computer science, I absolutely think that there should be a CS equivalent of a PE exam specifically for accredited software engineering. It's one of the biggest reasons that coding interviews are such a train wreck, because of the incredible disparity of competence between potential applicants.
jb3689 3y ago
> In other engineering professions, you need to be licensed by the state. Software "Engineers" don't have this license, so anyone can go to bootcamp and become one. Academic achievements and actual work experiences are already sufficient here in-practice. I don’t think certifications would be as impactful as you might hope