The problem is Title inflation

It all stems from title inflation, and disrespect for the title "Engineer". FAANG, and the whole Silicon Valley ecosystem seems to think that programming and Engineering are the same thing.

We're now at the point that Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, and Engineering disciplines reached a few decades after they started. It's time to license Software Engineering. Programming can remain an unlicensed profession, as most of the workforce actually are programmers, not those who wear the Iron Ring[0].

Engineers make sure that things are safe and reliable. They do it at their own pace, and have final say so, as their professional reputation and liability is at stake for the results. They have oversight for projects, and make sure testing happens, and the resulting system, though it was constructed by others, is fit for purpose.

Engineering organizations don't fire people willy-nilly. They have longer time horizions that the next quarter's profit numbers meeting expectations.

It's time for everyone to either admit they aren't engineers, or put on their big boy pants and take the licensing tests and become actual Engineers. I'll remain a programmer. I'm not worthy of the Iron Ring.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer%27s_Ring

PS: If BitGrid actually works, and somehow makes me able to afford it, I'd love to go back to school and actually become an Engineer, even though I'm aged out of the workforce.