RE: Skills vs education (was: Senior technical writer?)

["Poshedly, Ken" <PoshedlyK -at- polysius -dot- com>]

Oh, how muddy it gets. 

Eric (I think), you seem to be defining an "engineer" as one who either
can legally sign his / her name P.Eng. (or Ing. in Quebec) or
professionally stamp documents.

My wife, a transportation engineer with a graduate degree from a major
university does not have her P.E., but IS and HAS BEEN a transportation
engineer for the past 22 years, working both in private industry as well
in the public sector (governmental), AND is recognized and -- from what
I've seen -- highly regarded as a top-notch transportation engineer by
her peers and the professional society to which she belongs. 

No, she doesn't sign her name with a P.Eng. And therefore, she can't
stamp documents.

But, as I've said, she DOES have over 22 years professional experience,
including the past 19 years with one of the most high-profile civil
engineering firms in the state of Georgia; she also been called upon and
has served as an expert witness in several court cases. In this major
metropolis, chances are over three-fourths of the transportation
engineering community either knows or knows of my wife. 

And because she tends to be a workaholic and a perfectionist, she has
told and shown me at home some of the poor workmanship done by some of
her "professional" engineer "peers" and how she has corrected their
errors but watched as many of them just repeat the same mistakes.

Perhaps, you are really defining a "Licensed" professional engineer, but
certainly NOT a professional engineer who simply is not licensed but
performs -- in many cases -- better work than the "licensed" variety.

Oh, and yep -- I get to hear how this or that road came to be named
whateveritis and where the next wave of development is apt to be. You'd
be surprised.

And with you being in Canada, I know you'll tell us of the engineering
and political heads that will roll following the tragic collapse of part
of a major roadway near Montreal this past weekend. (We honeymooned
there in 1989 and found the city truly beautiful.)

-- Kenpo in Atlanta




-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+poshedlyk=polysius -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+poshedlyk=polysius -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 12:50 PM
To: mlist -at- safenet-inc -dot- com
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Skills vs education (was: Senior technical writer?)

Kevin wrote on 10/02/2006 11:31:25 AM:
> Engineers can become pros with only an engineering undergrad degree

Oh no they can't! While the rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction
I have yet to hear of any area in the world in which you can practice as
or claim to be a Professional Engineer with only a degree. And it
doesn't matter whether it's a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate.

You don't get to sign your name with P.Eng. (or Ing. in Quebec) or
professionally stamp documents until you've worked for a set amount of
time in the profession and you meet the Professional Engineering
organisations criteria. Even claiming Jr. status could result in
prosecution if you aren't actually working in a recognised field and a
member in good standing of the Professional Order.

Then, even once you gain the P.Eng. title, your work is subject to
judgement based on your experience. You can't gain professional status
as an electrical engineer and then stamp approval of structural plans.
If you want to change areas of expertise, you start over again at the
bottom of the ladder. Much as a Cardiologist can't just one day decide
to work as an Obstetrician or Dermatologist.

Eric L. Dunn
Senior Technical Writer
B.Eng. Mechanical

__________________________

This e-mail message and any attachment contains private
and confidential information and is intended for the addressee only.  If you are not the intended recipient (or responsible
for delivery of the message to such person), please do not read, copy, use or disclose this communication to others.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message, and then delete it from your system.  Thank you.
____________________ 
Polysius Corp.  
Atlanta, Ga.   USA
http://www.PolysiusUSA.com
Voice:    770-850-2000
Main Fax: 770-955-8789

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40infoinfocus.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.