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Some engineers may not have to wait. Even Vivid Video might
consider using 'Sex Engineer' as a new job title to please employees
who weren't given a raise in 2009.
It seems to be a growing trend that any skill under the sun can be accompanied with Engineer to create a job title.
With a quick search of the online job ads and LinkedIn, one can find thousands of engineering job titles. Are there really that many engineering jobs available or is it an overuse of the term 'engineer'?
What is an engineer?
According to dictionary.com, an engineer is:
"A person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering: a mechanical engineer; a civil engineer."
Still seemed vague, so I went to Wikipedia, where it states:
"An engineer is a skilled technical professional. Engineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints."
Ultimately, it comes down to the degrees, certifications, and licenses required to be a Professional Engineer or a graduate from a college engineering program, including but not limited to: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biological, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical, Systems, and Structural.
Who isn't an engineer?
Anyone who doesn't fit the criteria above. But their job title would say otherwise. The idea of improving the job title of a 'lesser job' by adding the term 'Engineer' is not a new phenomenon. The obvious, and most exaggerated example of this is the Custodial Engineer. The idea that someone who cleans toilets has a title of Engineer may have been difficult to swallow a decade ago. However, since then, the Engineering title is spreading faster than Paris Hilton's herpes, and touches nearly every job category. It's fairly simple to spot illegitimate engineering jobs, but sometimes it gets tricky, like trying to spot a fake adult film title in a list full of real adult film titles.
If you come across the job titles Catering Engineer, Financial Engineer, Asset Control Engineer, and my favorite -- Online Advertising & Community Forums Engineer, it 's a safe bet that these jobs are not real engineering jobs.
I don't see an issue with this. Why does all of this matter?
There are currently over 2.4 million people on LinkedIn with 'Engineer' in their job title. That represents over 5% of the job titles on LinkedIn. By comparison, the often overused term 'Analyst' pales in comparison to 'Engineer', and represents only 1.9 million job titles on LinkedIn.
Eventually, a term loses all meaning if misappropriately overused. Extra strength medicine means nothing, and when competitors began advertising rough toilet paper as 'soft', Charmin knew they had to up the ante. Thus, the creation of 'Ultra soft'.
It seems long overdue for the creation of the term Ultra-Engineer.
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Cubicle 101 is a recurring article in Dudley B. Dawson's Life in the Cubicle column.
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Comments
Whatever. This is nothing compared to the abuse of the term "Architect".
In Canada the professional associations are enabled by law to sue firms that are employing "engineers" who haven't graduated from accredited schools.
For those who find it boring, imagine fifteen or twenty years of rogue civil, mining, electrical, and mechanical engineers. Without accreditation and monitoring you expose the public to any number of unqualified people representing themselves as engineers and causing serious harm. Fairly soon you'd have the same garbage as currently exists in the executive levels of most companies: having a C-level job is the requirement for getting a C-level job. That's not the case when it comes to bridge design ("Oh, this'll stay up for at least 5 years.. by then I'll be at a new job") or any other branch of the profession.
Engineers are supposed to be boring, it's what keeps you alive every day.
An over-engineered phrase indeed.
Ian, I'm really not sure what you're talking about. You sound like you know what you're talking about, at least. All I know is, I'm sure Canada does not accredit people who unclog toilets as Custodial Engineers.
Ian,
Please apologize for Bryan Adams.
The only engineer in my book is a train engineer. If someone has engineer in their title it immediately brings up images of people in overalls, dirty faces, and a handkerchief.
Looks like someone is jealous that they aren't an engineer Dudley.
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