There are actually two levels of engineering certification in the US. Basically, once you've gotten your degree in college (from an ABET accredited school), you can then take the first test (Fundamentals of Engineering, which then designates you as an 'Engineer in Training'). After working under a Professional Engineer (someone who's already passed the second test) for about 2-3 years, you can take the PE test. Once you pass the test, you can apply for licensing. I've only dealt with the Board of Licensure in Kentucky (I did some work on their databases ... reminder to self -- never take someone's word that it's 2 weeks of work, without specing it out yourself -- they neglected to mention that I was replacing an existing system, not making something from scratch (which might've taken only 2 weeks)) but the states seem to compare notes on the applicants, to see if anyone else has a reason to black list the applicants.

Now, my understanding for the licensing is that it's because certain fields in engineering have the possibility to do real economic damage or cause human casualties. Sure, doctors can kill people from negligence, but unless it's misdiagnosing the plague, they're only going to be found out before they've killed a dozen people. Civils, Structurals, and a few other fields have the potential to kill hundreds, thousands, or even more with one bad calculation (building collapse, dam bursting, etc.). That's not to say that electrical engineers couldn't kill people too, of course.

For quite some time, programmers weren't a profession on their own -- they were scientists, who also did programming, or similar. They knew the problems they were working on intimately. These days, programmers might be brought in on a contracting basis. For some folks, a typo might result in someone not getting their email; for others it might result in people dying.

I would love to see a form of purely voluntary licensing for programmers, so that you could be sure that the people that you're comparing for a job are similar in skills. I know there's Brainbench, and probably other similar companies, but I'd prefer it to be run by the programmers they're certifying, more like a guild or union. I'd like to see an apprenticeship systems for programmers, to replace and/or build on what they might learn in structured classes. I assume that some larger companies, who focus on software might have a mentoring program, or similar, but I've never worked in that industry.

I'd also like to see something like the FE vs. PE, where you have a basic skills test, and then a series of higher level tests for specialties. Just as you don't want a podiatrist doing open heart surgery, or a tax lawyer defending you in a murder trial, you might not want someone who specializes in making email feedback forms for websites writing database software to track capital elligible judicial cases, or tracking medical needs for neo-natal care patients. I don't mean to belittle people who make web pages (I do it myself), but there needs to be a different level of due dilligence, when you might adversely affect someone's life in more than just a superficial manner.

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