I can respect that. But to pose devil's advocate - why do you believe the education is special?

If we begin with a formal analysis, this sentiment begins with "Is it possible for an individual to learn everything required to be a fully competant software engineer without going to university?"

If you agree this is possible, that there is at least one human being capable of this, then the "special" meaning of engineer becomes limited to title and investment paid in a college education. It no longer is an absolute determination of skillset or intelligence.

There is data in favor of that statement. Google conducted a study that showed an extremely weak correlation between degree and hiring results, at least within its own company. And there are numerous examples of people who have accomplished quite a bit in the realm of legitimate software engineering without a degree.

Engineer is a description of what someone does, not what qualifications they have.

I don't see how what the rest of the world does is relevant to what people in the US call themselves. We don't expect you to follow our cultural norms. Don't expect us to follow yours.

But what _does_ it mean?