>CS seems to be very weird in a lot of these respects. In a standard engineering job (e.g. Aerospace, electrical, mechanical) you generally send in your resume,

>CS seems to be very weird in a lot of these respects. In a standard engineering job (e.g. Aerospace, electrical, mechanical) you generally send in your resume, talk with a few people (2-3 interviews) where a few technical questions will be asked, and that's about it. Resume -> phone screen (~30 minutes) -> In person interview (30min - 90 min). No whiteboard problems/puzzles. No take home tests/projects. One distinction is that traditional engineering jobs are usually advertised as requiring a Bachelors of Engineering degree from an accredited institution. In the software development world I don't think there is such a hard requirement on the types of qualifications the applicant needs. It's not impossible but it would be relatively hard to fake your way through a 4 year Engineering degree. Part of the requirements to get my Engineering degree was that I had to complete 12 weeks (60 days) of industrial experience (this was done through internship over the summer break between 3rd and 4th year of the degree) - I don't think software world has the same requirements for practical hands on experience to get certified etc. in the way traditional engineering does. In my final year I also had to submit an independent 70 page undergraduate thesis and pass an oral defense of the thesis given by 4 professors which was way more intense than any job interview I've had since. It would be very hard to BS your way past the professors without a solid technical understanding. Essentially I think that in Engineering obtaining the undergraduate degree is the technical screening.