An 'engineer' is someone who is trained or professionally engaged in a branch of
engineering.
[1] Engineers use
technology,
mathematics, and
scientific knowledge to solve practical
problems. People who work as engineers typically have an
academic degree (or equivalent work experience) in one of the
engineering disciplines.
[2]
Working as an engineer
"Every technological product has to be designed and its fabrication overseen, and this is what engineers DO."
[3]
Engineers and scientists are often confused in the minds of the general public. While
scientists explore nature in order to discover general principles, engineers apply established principles drawn from mathematics and science in order to develop economical solutions to technical problems.
[4][5] The work of engineers is the link between perceived social needs and commercial applications. Engineers consider many factors when developing a new product. For example, in developing an industrial robot, engineers precisely specify the functional requirements; design and test the robot’s components; integrate the components to produce the final design; and evaluate the design's overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety. This process applies to the development of many different products, such as chemicals, computers, engines, aircraft, and toys.
In addition to design and development, many engineers work in testing, production, or maintenance. These engineers supervise production in factories, determine the causes of component failure, and test manufactured products to maintain quality. They also estimate the time and cost to complete projects. Some move into 'engineering management' or into sales. In sales, an engineering background enables them to discuss technical aspects and assist in product planning, installation, and use. 'Supervisory engineers' are responsible for major components or entire projects.
Engineers use computers extensively to produce and analyze designs; to simulate and test how a machine, structure, or system operates; and to generate specifications for parts. Many engineers also use computers to monitor product quality and control process efficiency.
"Engineer" as a title
In some countries of
Continental Europe and Latin America the title is limited by law to people with an engineering degree, and the use of the title by others (even persons with much work experience) is illegal. In
Italy the title is limited to people who, besides holding an engineering degree, have passed a professional abilitation exam.
Laws exist in all
U.S. states and in
Canada which limit the use of several engineer titles, particularly the title of "
Professional Engineer," and often also titles indicating a specific, regulated branch of engineering, such as "
civil engineer" or "
mechanical engineer." Most U.S. states do not restrict unlicensed persons from calling themselves an "engineer" or indicating branches or specialties not covered by the licensing acts, though the legal situation regarding the title of "engineer" in Canada is unsettled. (See ''
Professional Engineer'' for more details).
The word "
technologist" is sometimes used synonymously as it derives from the prefix 'techno-' and the suffix -
ologist, hence, someone who studies technology. This applies particularly to those European countries with laws regulating the use of the title "engineer." However, in Britain as well as some European countries, the term "technologist" is a certification or registration that is equal to an engineer but has a different focus than design. For example, a technologist may focus on Technical Management, Manufacturing Engineering, or an Applied Engineering practices. A technologist maybe a better choice to fill positions that require applied engineering skills than a design engineer. Regulation of the Technologist title is cover by the Sydney Accord which is currently overseen by the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom.
Other meanings
In Britain, the term 'engineer' is often used to describe a technician or a person that mends and operates machinery. (This in contrast to mainland Europe, where engineering is seen as comparable to other professions such as medicine and architecture.) Professional engineers registered with the
Engineering Council UK have the exclusive right to the titles
Chartered Engineer and
Incorporated Engineer. These titles are only awarded after a rigorous formation including higher education, training and experience.
In the United States, the term "engineer" is also used to denote an operator of an
engine of some sort, e.g., a
railroad engineer denotes the operator of a
locomotive, a ship's engineer denotes the operator of the
steam engine on a
steamship, and a
stationary engineer is normally responsible for a
stationary steam engine. Occasionally "title inflation" results in non-engineers holding jobs with "engineer" in the job title. For example, the term "field engineer" is often used to describe manufacturers' (or third party) supplied installers and/or maintainers of (complex) equipment at a user's site. However, they are not commonly degreed engineers.
In
firefighting, the term "engineer" refers to a
firefighter whose job is to drive the
fire apparatus and, if it has an onboard water supply, to stay with the engine and operate the pumps so that the firefighters on the hose can have enough
water to put out the
fire.
The term "engineer" may also be used to describe holders of some forms of
professional certification other than university degrees, such as (but not limited to)
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer,
Certified Novell Engineer,
Red Hat Certified Engineer and so on.
In Canada, the usage of the term "engineer" to describe holders of professional certification is not legally permitted. The
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers mounted an extended campaign to get
Microsoft to renounce use of the word "engineer" in the title of their certification.
[6] A 2001 reader survey by Microsoft Certified Professional magazine found that over half of respondents supported changing the name of the MCSE to remove the word "engineer".
[7]
Military engineers
An
army military engineer is a member of any branch of the armed forces responsible for the design and construction and also the destruction of offensive, defensive and logistical structures for warfare. This term is used in military units throughout the world and has been used since ancient times, extended in modern terms to include the laying and disarming of
minefields and
booby traps.
The Engineering Officer in larger ships, and the senior engineering sailor (typically a
Chief Petty Officer) is called the Chief Engineer. In smaller ships without an Engineering Officer the Chief Engineer runs the engineering department. To facilitate brevity of communication in an operational shipboard environment, the Chief Engineer on United States Navy vessels is colloquially referred to and addressed as "The CHENG", or simply "CHENG".
In the British Merchant Navy, the Chief Engineer is a rank equivalent to the Senior Engineering Officer on a US ship.
See also
★
Greatest Engineering Achievements
Lists of notable engineers by discipline
★
List of aerospace engineers
★
List of chemical engineers
★
List of civil engineers
★
List of electrical engineers
★
List of industrial engineers
★
List of materials engineers
★
List of mechanical engineers
★
List of structural engineers
★
List of systems engineers
environmental engineers
Other related lists
★
List of architects
★
List of inventors
★
List of urban planners
★
List of heroic fictional scientists and engineers
Licensing and registration
★
Chartered Engineer (UK)
★
European Engineer
★
Incorporated Engineer
★
Professional Engineer
References
1. Engineer Dictionary.com
2. Degrees and Occupations in Engineering: How Much Do They Diverge? Issue Brief, NSF 99-318 December 31, 1998
3. Samuel Florman, ''The Civilized Engineer'' ISBN 0-312-02559-9
4. Frequently Asked Questions About Engineering National Society of Professional Engineers ''Science is knowledge based on observed facts and tested truths arranged in an orderly system that can be validated and communicated to other people. Engineering is the creative application of scientific principles used to plan, build, direct, guide, manage, or work on systems to maintain and improve our daily lives.''
5. Engineers Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
6. MCSE is NOT an Engineer in Canada!
7. Microsoft Certified Systems Expert? , ''"Of 2,017 responses, 526 of you said, 'Don't change the name at all.' Of the 1,320 who said that only the word Engineer should change, the overwhelming majority—502 respondents—liked 'Expert' as a replacement. "''
External links
★
Engineers at Engineering Wiki
www.89.com
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