Anonymous wrote:For me the degree is everything. If you trained as whatever it is, then you can call yourself that.

Yes the degree is great. I’d hire an engineer grad or math major grad who can speak well any day. I work in finance, so I wouldn’t call them an engineer nor an engineer in training.

Re subject line
Not in my book. Although staying in academia to research, write and teach engineering is close. Running off to do finance or management or consulting is not engineering. Many don’t think industrial engineering is real stem math-based engineering. And don’t get me started on Applied engineering BA degrees vs lab or math-based engineering BS degree programs.

Yes, a degree in engineering should be adequate qualification to call oneself an “engineer”. A potential point of confusion in some comments here - being a PE (Professional Engineer) requires an exam for licensure. However, not all engineering jobs require that PE qualification specifically.

Source: I am a 50 year old female with an engineering degree who has been in an engineering position 25+ years but never took a PE exam simply because it was never needed in my career.

Only if you want to represent yourself as a PE.

I had a degree in physics and worked as an engineer. I called myself an engineer.

Are you an engineer if you never worked as one?[i]


No, one must pass the board certification process of the jurisdiction in which they practice.

PP the economist.

I think you could argue that completing the degree makes you an engineer. See this page.

Maybe you could say that the person lacks experience to create solutions. But a smart degree-holder probably has the skills to analyze and explain engineering work at a technical level. They just shouldn't be stamping documents.

https://www.mtu.edu/engineering/about/engineers/#:~:text=Engineers%20apply%20scientific%20principles%20to,tools%20is%20their%20own%20creativity.

I looked at the NSPE code of ethics and it covers engineers not going beyond their expertise. In media and outreach roles, I think this would be a very limited "practice" of engineering. But still reliant/benefitting from the training.

I don't think this person is misrepresenting their background. Many undergrads call themselves engineers just as shorthand. I wouldn't invest a lot more time in worrying about this. If you ever met the person, I'm sure she would have reasonable reasons for her self-identification.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an economist working for the federal government with a BA in Econ. There are hundreds of employees like that. We legitimately did do economics-related work, and at a junior level compared to PhDs. My office had a few PhDs, a bunch of Master's grads, and a few BA's.

But you are professionally working as an economist.

If you had a BA in Econ but worked as Fox as a commentator on the economy does that make you an economist?

A lot of people think only PhD's can be economists. Regardless of the existence of my job. I see a parallel here with the: if you aren't a PE, you're not an engineer line of thinking. My sister worked in engineering consulting for quite a while before getting her PE. She had an Ivy engineering degree. She got it to boost her resume. Getting it didn't change the nature of her work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no stolen valor for engineers. And as a woman in engineering, there are going to be men who think you're not real no matter what you're doing.

And that's definitely what's going in the OP. Can't have a pretty woman with multiple degrees calling herself an engineer!

I have plenty of friends that are pretty/handsome engineers from MIT but they work as engineers.

I also have a friend that did aero/astro and went to work as a management consultant for airlines. I don't consider her an engineer. She doesn't refer to herself as an engineer.

Anonymous wrote:Engineering is a thought process

Is it? I've always thought that engineering is the application of the theory. Hence why it needs to be practiced professionally.

Anonymous wrote:I was an economist working for the federal government with a BA in Econ. There are hundreds of employees like that. We legitimately did do economics-related work, and at a junior level compared to PhDs. My office had a few PhDs, a bunch of Master's grads, and a few BA's.

But you are professionally working as an economist.

If you had a BA in Econ but worked as Fox as a commentator on the economy does that make you an economist?

Engineering is a thought process

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP may be wondering if age has to be a RPE to say she is an engineer. No. She can't pur RPE after her name unless she is licensed dunno if she is.

That I understand, my Dad is a PE. It just seems not genuine to have never worked professionally as an engineer and call yourself an engineer.

If I have an SB and MA in science does that alone make me a scientist? Most would argue you need a PhD which is the work-experience as a scientist.

I thought of this too. I have a cousin who got a BS in biochemistry but is a basket case and can’t hold a job. He’s never had an actual science-based job and currently teaches English in southeast Asia. He loves to call himself a scientist but…he’s not. Actually doing the job matters.

Anonymous wrote:There's no stolen valor for engineers. And as a woman in engineering, there are going to be men who think you're not real no matter what you're doing.

And that's definitely what's going in the OP. Can't have a pretty woman with multiple degrees calling herself an engineer!

There's no stolen valor for engineers. And as a woman in engineering, there are going to be men who think you're not real no matter what you're doing.

For me the degree is everything. If you trained as whatever it is, then you can call yourself that.