[TheNewsIsHere]

There are many fields of engineering where practicing without a license is against the law, with licensing exams directly related to education and skill.

Technology has more or less co-opted the term but it used to be that “engineer” was fairly synonymous with licensed professions.

[jandrewrogers]

Where is this? My experience is in the US and my background is physical engineering. A license does not confer competency. Competency is not testable except at the most rudimentary levels. I wouldn't trust an engineer with anything important because they were licensed. Licensing is about liability, not competency.

It would be useful if we could devise a filter for engineers in software but it hasn't proven effective in any other engineering discipline in my experience. Software is even more prone to cargo-culting fashions than more traditional engineering disciplines and I would hate to see them enforced as "best practice" with the force of law.