... but because "Engineer" has a legally codified meaning, and I'm not a licensed PE.
Reference "Industry Exception". While states will have varying requirements, if a company is providing "Engineering" services that doesn't necessarily mean all "Engineers" are required to be licensed PEs. Given the bulk of automation work hardly much of it could be stamped aside from electrical prints which I have never seen done or been told it's a requirement. Generally speaking automation is an exception. We aren't offering services that directly impact the public health and safety.
Based on a power point ISA put out in 2009, ~ 1% of automation professionals passed the CSE discipline of the PE which you would think would be the preferable discipline. If someone in automation has a PE it's probably electrical power, or who knows Mechanical/Chemical disciplines, so should they really be an "Engineer" in the world of automation without passing the CSE discipline?
I do feel the title of "Engineer" should be formalized and enforced, but in the world of automation that is extremely hard to regulate/control. I believe Canada is pretty strict with the use of "Engineer" in a title.
Titles I have seen:
Systems Integrator - Controls Engineer, Industrial Programmer.
Automation Sales - Automation Application Engineer, Automation Specialist
Manufacturing Plant - Controls Technician, Automation Technician, Maintenance Technician, Controls Engineer
Corporate - Senior Engineer, Principle Engineer
I would be curious to see how many companies that give a person a title with the role of "Engineer" actually verify that they have a 4 year engineering degree from EAC/ABET accredited program. Plenty of people who are in controls "fell" into it and hold an engineer title.
Last edited: