Why being an Engineer means nothing in this country

I worked for an engineering company in IT and I can say that some of the stupidest people I have ever worked with are engineers in particular the AutoCAD lot. I have a doubt if these people even went to school. On the other hand some of the most intelligent people I have worked with don't have a degree. At the end of the day its just a job title.
 
I'm studying HND Mechanical Engineering, and will be gaining an Engineering Officer Of the Watch certificate to the rank of 3rd Engineer, issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency when I qualify next September.

Can I call myself an engineer too pretty please? :D
 
I'm a software engineer, my job title says so.

I also have an A-Level in engineering science and made an awesome cantilever bridge out of spaghetti once.

Does that count?
 
Had Virgin Media out a few times and some of their 'engineers' were just apprentice level people with just enough knowledge to look the real deal, took about 4 visits and eventually a 'senior engineer' (ie. actually knows his stuff and doesn't just follow basic training) to get it all sorted.

I've come to the realisation that these companies employ people who probably have degrees in archaelogy or something pointless like that rather than actual skilled engineers... give them a fancy job title and tight deadlines to work under (25mins per visit or so) and pay them minimum wage... then you replicate that on a country wide level throughout all different industries and people wonder why the country/economy is falling apart.
 
What a stupid idea. You want to cause hundreds of thousands of job titles to change and all sorts of extra work and legislation to be put in place - just for an ego boost for engineering graduates?

That petition can go and take a **** to itself!
 
The term engineer, for me conjures up images of dudes with big spanners working on oil rigs.

The line is somewhat blurred when you bring design into it, which is more of an art than a science.

That's just my view.
 
The Halk said:
What a stupid idea. You want to cause hundreds of thousands of job titles to change and all sorts of extra work and legislation to be put in place - just for an ego boost for engineering graduates?

That petition can go and take a **** to itself!
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Going on the people who call themselves an engineer...
I did a first aid course so therefore I should call myself a nurse.

I haven't signed the petition as I don't think it would do anything.
 
mattyfez said:
The term engineer, for me conjures up images of dudes with big spanners working on oil rigs.

The line is somewhat blurred when you bring design into it, which is more of an art than a science.

That's just my view.
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Your view is my view too. Those guys on the oil rigs would be unable to call themselves engineers because some butthurt graduate couldn't get to sleep at night while other people were called engineers too.
 
mattyfez said:
The term engineer, for me conjures up images of dudes with big spanners working on oil rigs.

The line is somewhat blurred when you bring design into it, which is more of an art than a science.

That's just my view.
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My brother-in-law did a degree in electronic engineering so he could get a job on the rigs as it goes. :)

You are correct about design being an element; this is especially true for software engineers .:)
 
Does it really matter what a persons title is? For example if anyone could use the title Doctor, it wouldn't matter as the people at the hospital would still be medically trained doctors, and anyone who doesn't have that training wouldn't have a job at the hospital practising medicine, even if they did call themselves a Doctor.

Just because they call themselves engineers I don't expect a Virgin Media support technician to be highly educated, or anything more than just an apprentice. Where as someone else with the same title of IT engineer, but working on developing IT systems for the ISS or aircraft, I would expect to be highly educated and with good training.

I care more about what the person is capable of doing, and what their job involves than a silly title.
 
If I called an engineer out to my car and ask him/her where the engine is, would they open the bonnet and say engineer mate.
 
UncleRuckus said:
My brother-in-law did a degree in electronic engineering so he could get a job on the rigs as it goes. :)

You are correct about design being an element; this is especially true for software engineers .:)
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This is where the semantics comes in, for me: software designer, yes, software engineer? err, not really.

A lot comes down to how a person precives the word 'engineer'.

It's a pretty vague term.
 
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