Why being an Engineer means nothing in this country

Soldato
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An engineering degree usually lasts 4 years including the Masters year to achieve recognition from the body of Chartered Engineers, CEng. An engineering degree is very demanding and not many people get through to become a chartered engineer. It involves problem solving techniques, heavy mathematics and science principles, such as Physics (Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering), Chemistry (Chemical Engineering) and Biology (Medical Engineering) amongst many other fields. In order to succeed you would need to understand concepts from first principles such as Newtons Laws of Motion and Fluid Viscosity. Bernoulli concepts and electrical laws such as Ohms and Faradays laws. How a capacitor works and how it can analogue real life situations. It also involves thorough research using the most accurate and precise instruments and skills that are not taught over night. Such as CAD programs (AutoCAD), programming software (MatLab), economic value engineering to determine the cost to usefulness ratio.
I’ve also missed a hell of a lot more but you get the message.

So that’s 4 years of hard learning, plus many more years of experience in the industry and you’re still learning some more.

Then a plumber/electrician/boiler man/car mechanic comes a long to your home to fix what ever needs fixing and calls him self an “engineer”.
When something goes wrong, these companies send out “engineers” to fix the problem.

It is now a case that engineers and these “call out helpers” are now categorised in the same league as non/semi-skilled.

Did those people go to university to get a degree? Did those people receive recognition (not that it even means anything any more)?

When was the last time a plumber/electrician/boiler man/car mechanic used the Euler Buckling Theory to design a bridge that will span the Severn River?

:mad:
 
Man of Honour
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I think it's a general term. I don't think you should really get your knickers in a twist about it.

But then again we're in an age where the lowest ranked jobs are given fancy titles, probably to boost the self esteem of the ****'s that do it.
 
Soldato
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But it shouldn't be a general term. An Engineer is a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve real life practical problems which may hinder future progression.
Thames barrier was designed by Engineers using Fluid Mechanics so London does not become flooded in high tide. I doubt your average LCD TV fixer man can do that. :mad:
 
Soldato
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But it shouldn't be a general term. An Engineer is a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve real life practical problems which may hinder future progression.
Thames barrier was designed by Engineers using Fluid Mechanics so London does not become flooded in high tide. I doubt your average LCD TV fixer man can do that. :mad:

Sadly not in this country as we have never protected the title like they have in many other countries where it would be illegal for the gas man to be calling himself an Engineer. It is now possibly the most overused job title in this country and is totally valuless, I mean the man who wired my kitchen thinks he's an Electrical Engineer and not an Electrician when all he does is put three wires in the right pre defined and clearly labeled holes.
 
Caporegime
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I know dude, it sucks. On the continent becoming an engineer is respected as much as a doctor or a lawyer. Any project over there has to have a minimum number of chartered engineers on it by law. Over here an engineer is just an over-priced "resource" who can be replaced by 20 workers in the low pay economies. Maybe this is why European companies are trouncing British companies all over the place.
 
Man of Honour
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But it shouldn't be a general term. An Engineer is a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve real life practical problems which may hinder future progression.
Thames barrier was designed by Engineers using Fluid Mechanics so London does not become flooded in high tide. I doubt your average LCD TV fixer man can do that. :mad:

An TV repair engineer uses knowledge and training to identify and solve the real life practical problem of the equipment not functioning correctly which may hinder future use.

Sounds very similar to me...
 
Soldato
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In France isn't it a title like here Doctors become "Dr Smith" over there engineers, the real ones, become "Engineer Smith"?
 
Soldato
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Chill....christ its a name.

You worked for the CEng that's what you got, be satisfied with it. Engineer is a description of the type of job, like Technician. Its just a word, don't have a coronary over it.

- Pea0n
 

Jez

Jez

Caporegime
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What i don't understand is why you care about the job title. Its irrelevent. Success in your life is not measured with words or academic achievement. It is measured in happiness, personal fulfilment, and sterling.

Stop getting your knickers in a twist over a few meaningless words and use the chartership to grab yourself an amazing job to afford yourself the idyllic lifestyle, if that is what you did it for?
 
Associate
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Its a misused term, it happens everywhere, all the time. Surely a genuine Engineer would be too smart to get all bunched up about something so silly? I should know, I am a Software Engineer.
 
Soldato
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An TV repair engineer uses knowledge and training to identify and solve the real life practical problem of the equipment not functioning correctly which may hinder future use.

Sounds very similar to me...

It hinders future use, doesn't hinder future progression.
The customer could just as easily ask the repair man to fix the dead capacitor or what ever is wrong with the TV. But ask the repair man how the capacitor works and he wouldn't know.
 

Deleted member 651465

D

Deleted member 651465

My friend completed an engineering degree, and walked in to a job in Dubai. Many many times I'd chat with him and he'd be stressing about something or other (usually AutoCAD), but it's obvious that his hard work paid off.

It's a bit harsh to label the electricians, plumbers etc as non/semi-skilled, I know a lot of very clever guys who chose that profession over the whole University-degree route.

However, I do agree that the term engineer is banded around too often. Here, we prefer the term maintenance workers for this very reason :)
 
Soldato
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Surely the people who matter (the ones who are likely to be paying you) know the difference anyway. Who cares if your average man in the street thinks you're a glorified repair man?

I'm doing a maths degree, and whenever I tell anyone I'm doing a maths degree, they assume I want to be a maths teacher. Do I let it bother me? no.
 

Jez

Jez

Caporegime
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It hinders future use, doesn't hinder future progression.
The customer could just as easily ask the repair man to fix the dead capacitor or what ever is wrong with the TV. But ask the repair man how the capacitor works and he wouldn't know.

As i say, the title means nothing, why do you even care? If you are a chartered engineer use it to forward your lifestyle as i assume thats why you did it. Good for you etc, stop getting upset about it :)
 
Soldato
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If I was to get pedantic about it, for me the meanings are

Engineer - Builds and constructs anything (be it physical, mechanical or digital)
Technician - Repairs, modifies and fixes stuff that is produced by the Engineer.

For example:

An engineer might design a piece of software, but if it went wrong a technician might be brought in to trouble shoot and try and fix the issue. Same with Electrical items and constructions. Engineer designs (and possibly builds) but if it went wrong or needed repair at a later date a Technician would fix/repair

- Pea0n
 
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