> Lawyers, doctors, and engineers are all required to pass tests before they can practice. They prove their competence before they can even begin working in the

> Lawyers, doctors, and engineers are all required to pass tests before they can practice. They prove their competence before they can even begin working in the field. Because performance on a multiple-choice exam equates to competence in the field? Nice one. > Finally, and probably most importantly, professional are subject to fiduciary obligations to their clients that require a minimum standard of professional conduct--if they mess up, they can (and do) get sued for malpractice. I have an equal obligation to my clients and can just as easily get sued if I engineer crap. > OTOH, apparently programmers can call themselves programmers after a 6 week course I can call myself a surgeon after dissecting a frog, it doesn't make me into one. People call themselves things all the time. So what? > Programmers aren't responsible for their mistakes--if they mess up, the client's option is to pay for someone to fix it with no option for recompense. Err... what? My clients pay me by credit card. If the thingie I made doesn't do what it's supposed to, they can and will get a refund from the credit card company. Try getting a refund from a doctor or a hospital for poor service. I dare you.