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0 pointsbumby6y ago0 comments

>The etymology is from 'someone who has professed vows'

To a certain extent, I think you are guilty of relaxing the definition just as you accuse the OP of doing.

Strictly defined “professional engineers” are licensed and do take those vows of ethical behavior. However, the vast majority of people claiming an engineer title do not meet this criteria. While somewhat pedantic, it does carry legal meaning. Some states have even brought lawsuits in this regard, although I think they were ruled against.

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chrisseaton6y ago

I think I covered that when I said it was relaxing over time and professions which used to require membership I’d learned societies don’t and that software engineering was at the extreme of this.

bumbyOP6y ago

You did, my point was more along the lines of it’s subjective use and how it blurs the lines, so I suppose we’re saying the same thing. To a certain extent, the perverting of the terminology seems to be used to garner prestige or status rather than any of the original purpose. If subjectivity extends far enough, it’s hard for me to say the OP was using the term “professional” incorrectly. In that case, it’s hard to make the case that your subjective definition is right and theirs is wrong or vice versa

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