Abused word

[Graham.]

What about tree surgeons, and saw doctors?

[DerbyBorn]

Gripe - I think the title "Engineer" is widely abused.

The bloke in the white van who services my boiler is not an engineer - he is a mechanic. The person who designed the boiler and worked out how to make it was an Engineer. At best someone who performs fault finding on a boiler could be a Technician.

In most companies there is an heirachy and an Engineer is the professional person who does the design and can perform all the calculations required to develop the product to perform to specification.

[Nick Odell]

I agree. In many parts of the world it is a reserved title - like Architect is here - and you can only be an Engineer if you have a higher university degree in the subject. I'm trying to remember the correct form: in Italy, isn't it something like Ing. Dot. Luigi Pescori?

Nick

[Clive Arthur]

He fits the OED definition of 'A person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or structures'. If you want to use the word to mean something more exclusive, don't appropriate it, just add to it - 'state registered domestic heating design engineer' or something.

The one that pisses me off is when the news says things like 'scientists say that...' without any indication of what branch of science. They wouldn't do that with the arts.

<snip>

A window cleaner once told me he was a 'vision enhancement operative'.

Cheers

[Jethro_uk]

The Germans have it right.

[newshound]

This complaint is at least 50 years old. More recently it is "Manager" with a capital M that has been moving down the ranks.

It is interesting that "Chartered Accountant" rolls off the tongue, as it were, in the way that "Chartered Engineer" does not.

[Fredxx]

And in 99% of employment, having chartered engineer status has no benefit.

Shame it's not a requirement for engineering, as it in accountancy.

[GB]

It's quite common in Germany. If suitably qualified, you'd be addressed as "Herr Doktor Streater" or even "Herr Professor Doktor Streater".

Once they got to know you better, they'd drop the formality and just call you Herr Doktor. :)

[Tim Streater]

Except it would be a bit naff for people to do that (address each other thusly, I mean).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I agree. I worked in TV sound as a career, and many insist on calling that job a Sound Engineer. I assume it started across the pond. In much the way as there are now lots of producers and editors on near every programme.

[David]

I don't think "architect" is a reserved title.

Having worked in IT a while back, when being a Programmer became boring and two a penny the same role was suddenly a Software Engineer then a Systems Engineer, and the next step up was a Systems Architect.

As far as I know (Google is your enemy, try DuckDuckGo) there is no requirement for any formal qualification to fill any of these roles.

Cheers

Dave R

[John Rumm]

I recall my first job working for GEC, they had an odd set of job titles, but they (usually) reserved Engineer for what most people would consider Technician type roles (i.e. assembly line, wiremen, production test etc), and then had the term "Technologist" for what most would think of as proper engineering roles (hardware / software design, prototyping etc).

(My claim to fame, being that I somehow ended up with the formal job title of "Software Engineer" - a title that did not officially exist and I was the only one in the company!)

[NY]

The problem is that lay people, especially financial bean counters and HR staff in a company, tend to think that "engineer" relates to the mechanic (and maybe also the technician), and set salaries accordingly.

We really need to have the German tradition of making "Engineer" a professional title like "Doctor" (*) - as in Herr Ing. Hans Schmidt, like Herr Dokt. Heinrich Klein.

(*) Both medical and PhD

[whisky-dave]

I thought an engineer had to have a certificate of education, in electrical engineering you have to be a memeber of the IET or similar.

[Max Demian]

Or sawbones.

[Nick Odell]

AIUI, you can call yourself a <something> architect or an architect(ural) <something> but if you use the title on its own without the necessary qualification and registration RIBA will be down on you

**pun warning alert** like a ton of bricks.

Nick

[Fredxx]

Not required in the UK.

[Max Demian]

Only if you want to call yourself a "chartered engineer".

[Chris B]

I have a qualification in Engineering and can put "CEng" after my name. What you say about being of no benefit used to be absolutely correct but in recent years (last 5/10) I have seen an increasing number of vacancies advertised where CEng is an essential requirement. Primarily those jobs where the incumbent is going to have to sign off some product or process to certify that it meets given regulatory requirements.

[Bob Eager]

I agree completely. If someone refers to the word incorrectly, I usually correct them.

"We'll send the boiler engineer" "OK, I'll expect a boiler technician"