mikeybikes

Never said, nor alluded that they were the same.

Engineers are expected to be held to a high standard. Often times, projects that an engineer oversees has the potential for significant impacts on society. It is important to not diminish the amount of skill and knowledge necessary to practice engineering in a safe and ethical manner.

Engineering societies are not looking for simply rent. They are looking to maintain the high image and standards expected of engineers.

Many disasters have been the cause of engineers who did not have complete knowledge of their practice.

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The Challenger disaster was a case where engineers failed to uphold their high standards of ethics and allowed the launch of the shuttle outside of acceptable parameters. Millions of dollars were lost and, more importantly, seven lives were lost.

St. Francis Dam collapsed after the chief engineer of the project designed it well short of the standards practiced by other dam engineers of the era. Cracks developed after the dam was completed and the chief engineer again failed, stating the cracks were not a danger. The dam collapsed later that day, killing 450 people.

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To state that engineering guilds and/or engineering societies exist collect rent and eliminate any competition shows a severe lack of understanding of what engineering actually constitutes.

For Microsoft to even consider calling their test an engineering certification and to call the certificate holders Certified Systems Engineers shows that the understanding of engineering standards and ethics by laymen is in a decline.

I applaud Quebec for not allowing MCSE holders to call themselves engineers.