[ravenstine]

It doesn't mean anything. The very title "engineer" is a massive scam to begin with, especially in places like the United States where it's neither a protective title or credentialed. Any asshole can call themselves an engineer and nobody bats an eye at the absurdity.

When employers invent these titles like "AI engineer", they're looking for tech geeks who check off the keywords du jour. It's no different from the now defunct "blockchain engineer" of yesteryear. It's about broadcasting a particular skillset without really having anything to do with actual engineering. I guarantee you that the role of an AI engineer at one company will look very different in another – because it's not real.

[osigurdson]

I don't think you can call yourself an accredited civil, mechanical, etc., engineer, even in the US. However, you can call yourself a software engineer nearly anywhere because it isn't the same thing - no regulatory body is going to stop people from making a website.

[thunderfork]

There are definitely regions where "engineer" is protected in such a way that "software engineer" isn't kosher (some provinces in Canada, for example)

[osigurdson]

I remember it was like that but it was kind of silly. You had "Software Engineers" working alongside "Software Developers" doing exactly the same job. The purpose of the P.Eng. was to protect the public, not people's egos.

[moomoo11]

this kind of gatekeeping is cringe

yea i know there are PE exams and certs

doesn’t change the fact that it’s cringe

no amount of down votes can convince me otherwise

[fragmede]

Work with some chukelfucks that don't know what they're doing and have no standards, and the cringe will go in the other direction. The gatekeeper serves a purpose. It's not arbitrary. We don't want bridges that fall down nor skyscrapers. Cars shouldn't randomly explode, either.

[moomoo11]

true. thankfully i’ve limited my exposure to annoying terribads like that.