When do you earn the title "Engineer"?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jndietz
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jndietz

The Way It Moves
I'm only 21 and just have some modeset equipment and knowledge -- far from what some people here are capable of. When do you start calling yourself an engineer?
 
When you send in your membership fee.
My address is ........................... :D
 
Well, if you're doing Hip-Hop, you can call yourself a "Producah" as soon as you own a fricking turntable.
 
Call yourself whatever you like, if it pays the bills you probably deserve the title.
 
Two different levels/ways.

When you earn a college certification or degree that gives you that title.

When the company/person that pays your salary gives you that title.

G.
 
I earn a living at it - I am a fully employed staff sound engineer. On our website it has me under 'sound engineer', the business cards that my boss got updated recently say 'sound engineer', so I suppose I can call myself a sound engineer...
 
Two ways:

- you get a bachelor's degree in engineering

- you get a job driving a train



I call myself a 'recordist' and 'circuit designer' :o
 
RAMI said:
Well, if you're doing Hip-Hop, you can call yourself a "Producah" as soon as you own a fricking turntable.
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That almost made me spit coffee through my nose.

As funny as it is, it also seems to be absolutely true... :rolleyes:
 
As far as recording goes ... you can't call yourself an engineer until you make a real kickass recording using nothing but SM57s.

.
 
jndietz said:
I'm only 21 and just have some modeset equipment and knowledge -- far from what some people here are capable of. When do you start calling yourself an engineer?
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when you decide to call yourself that.
 
Ethan Winer said:
But Glenn, I'm self-employed! :D

I guess I'm just not pro enough to claim the title. :mad:

:eek: :D :confused: :D
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Then, Ethan, you are the guy that signs the checks and pays your salary. If you're earning a living engineering - ins't that the definition of "pro"? - , then you're an engineer. You fit the equation. :)

What most budding fader jockeys don't get - and it doesn't just have to be audio engineer, it could be any of the many engineering fields - is that "engineer" is a verb before it is a noun.

Stacking together some tracks, flattening them, mixing them down, and then trying to make something that sounds good come out of the 2mix without working from a specific plan from the beginning and gettig things right from the start is not engineering audio. No more than building a building without a plan by slapping some 2x4s together with some playwood and a few nails and then trying to patch and reenforce the resulting lean-to shack until it can hopefully handle the load without breaking or leaking is structural engineering.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
What most budding fader jockeys don't get - and it doesn't just have to be audio engineer, it could be any of the many engineering fields - is that "engineer" is a verb before it is a noun.
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Glen, you are right that engineers generally go through an intern or training phase before being licensed as a "professional engineer". That latter term, at least, has a specific, legal meaning and a person has to demonstrate certain knowledge and competencies before we set them loose on society to do things like design bridges people will drive over or buildings they will work or do business in. Along the way, one first becomes an "intern" or "engineer in training", which is also a defined term.

I stole the following from Wiki, though I recall drafting some state law on this subject back in the 90s so I pretty much knew the score. The emphasis is mine.

"The term Professional Engineer and the actual practice of professional engineering is legally defined and protected by a government body. In some jurisdictions only registered or licensed Professional Engineers are permitted to use the title, or to practice Professional Engineering.

The earmark that distinguishes a licensed/registered Professional Engineer is the authority to sign and seal or "stamp" engineering documents (reports, drawings, and calculations) for a study, estimate, design or analysis, thus taking legal responsibility for it."

"In the United States, registration or licensure of Professional Engineers is performed by the individual states. Each registration or license is valid only in the state in which it is granted. Many Professional Engineers maintain licenses in several states for this reason, and comity between states can make it easy to obtain a license in one state based on licensure in another state without going through the full application process. In the US, each state licenses or registers engineers.

The licensing procedure varies but the general process is:

1. Graduate with a degree from an accredited four-year university program in engineering.

2. Complete a standard Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) written examination, which tests applicants on breadth of understanding of basic engineering principles, and optionally some elements of an engineering specialty.

Completion of the first two steps typically qualifies for certification in the U.S. as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT), sometimes also called an Engineer Intern (EI).

3. Accumulate a certain amount of engineering experience under the supervision of a P.E. In most states the requirement is four years, but in others the requirement is lower.

4. Complete a written Principles and Practice in Engineering ('PE') examination, testing the applicant's knowledge and skills in a chosen engineering discipline (mechanical, electrical, civil, for example), as well as engineering ethics."

Cheers,

Otto
 
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