Re:Don't call yourself a programmer (2011)
by dsacco on Saturday February 07, 2015 @04:49PM
(#9015431)
That's not a fair comparison. You can demonstrably learn every skill integral to software engineering outside of a traditional university.
You cannot do that with surgery. Or, well, you theoretically can, but it's much more hands on and almost certainly requires in-person mentorship.
But I take it your answer is "yes", then - if someone is a better software engineer and an accomplished luminary in the field, who progresses engineering itself forward, we shouldn't call her an engineer without a degree. Is that your position?
At the risk of being accused of developing a strawman - I'm not. I'm developing a baseline. Calling someone an engineer without a formal education is binary. If it can be done under any reasonably achievable circumstance, it's fair to say that you can be an engineer without a degree.
You cannot do that with surgery. Or, well, you theoretically can, but it's much more hands on and almost certainly requires in-person mentorship.
But I take it your answer is "yes", then - if someone is a better software engineer and an accomplished luminary in the field, who progresses engineering itself forward, we shouldn't call her an engineer without a degree. Is that your position?
At the risk of being accused of developing a strawman - I'm not. I'm developing a baseline. Calling someone an engineer without a formal education is binary. If it can be done under any reasonably achievable circumstance, it's fair to say that you can be an engineer without a degree.