Daniel C. wrote:
If I asked "How can I become a civil engineer" you wouldn't answer
with "A civil engineer designs bridges and buildings for non-military
use". You'd say "First you get a degree in civil engineering from an
ABET-accredited institution. Then you take the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam. Assuming you pass the exam, you then work for a few
years under a licensed civil engineer. For further questions you can
contact the American Society of Civil Engineers."
My question is not what you think a software engineer does or knows,
but whether anyone can point to an established process for becoming a
software engineer similar to the one I listed for becoming a civil
engineer.
So... yer just posting this thread because you don't know the anwser
already? Well here it is silly billy gum drop:
First get your degree in Computer Science - Software Engineering. Then
claim you are one on the PLUG list. Then if Stuart, Josh, Jonathan,
myself and 10 random PLUG members all can agree without a flame war that
you are one, then you can hang our signed approval letter (the sequence
of PLUG postings) on your wall. No need to work under another Engineer
as long as you send $79.95 to our fast paced "SE in a Box" DVD based
learning course.
Seriously though ... I think you might be a little too into this concept
or definition. Civil Engineering is an established disipline that had
time (centuries) to evolve and be regulated to such a degree as you have
established previously. Much of this "regulation" came from the
profession itself, while other portions came from outrage at buildings
and bridges collapsing that resulted in human injury. Being that
Software Engineering is relatively new, compared to even Electrical
Engineering (which I studied), it does not have such a process in place
due to it's "infant" stage as an Engineering discipline. But give it
time. Miscrosoft and other companies are proving the point that such a
process might be needed as their products prove to be vulnerable and
harmful when compromised. I can see several movements that might want
to govern such a process, but none, as far as I know at this time, have
emerged beyond an obscure idear. So... in the end, it is the opinions
of others that define what a Software Engineer really is and who really
is one; even if they are misguided.
Mister Ed
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