The other day it came to my attention, after years of thinking of and calling myself a ‘Software Engineer’, I was not in fact one. Not only that, but many of my talented tech friends were not either. We had all been committing a fraud, if only unknowingly.
Worse still companies advertising to hire a ‘Software Engineer’ were also clueless since that was not what they were actually seeking to higher. Ok, so what am I talking about?
Well I have found that, legally speaking, most us cannot call ourselves ‘Software Engineers’. In order to be a licensed professional engineer one is required to:
- Have the legal authority to use an engineering title without restriction.
- Can offer engineering services.
Most states in the US prohibit the unlicensed ‘practice of engineering’. To offer engineering work without a license is actually illegal. Licensing laws exist to maintain a certain level of professionalism and competency of the term ‘engineer’ so as to ensure public safety.
One can, though, legally use the term engineer in their title under certain conditions:
- One only practices engineering for their full time employer.
- One’s practice is limited to their employer’s facilities and products.
- One does not use the title outside of their company.
- One does not claim that they are qualified to offer engineering services to another party.
So how can one become a licensed software engineer? Well, in the state of Texas one would need to have the following:
- Possession of an engineering, a computer science, or other high-level math or science degree.
- At least 16 years creditable experience performing engineering work.
- References from at least nine people, five of whom are licensed engineers.
- Required educational and other credentials.
So from now on, we’re all just software developers. Also, feel free to report all those claiming to be ‘domestic engineers’. That’s just annoying.:)
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