The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher - Thomas Henry Huxley
In the preface of Preparing for the Professional Engineer's Examination, Irving J. Levinson, Prentice Hall, 1965, I found this book in a box of books in our basement that was deposited there when I cleaned out my mother's house long ago. On the title page, it has my fathers signature, dated 1979. I never knew he had studied for the exam.
The preface has some interesting words applicable to today issues with the lack of discipline in the software development and management business
For the protection of the life, health, and property of the public, the engineering registration laws are based on the fundamental principle that only those be permitted to practice the engineering profession who possess a prescribed degree of theoretical and practical knowledge and whose professional conduct is strictly regulated.
By and large, the professional engineer, by the processes of legal registration, has displayed ability and judgment, he has shown skill in application of fundamentals, and foremost, he has demonstrated a more than casual concern for the overall advancement of his profession.
Ignoring the male-dominated language, it's a powerful statement that is missing from today's software development environment, where theoretical and practical knowledge of fundamental principles appears to be missing in some domains.
The areas of theoretical and practical knowledge in the book include
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Statics
- Dynamics
- Strength of Materials
- Fluid Mechanics
- Thermodynamics
- Electricity
- Engineering Economy
Where are the similar theoretical and practical knowledge areas to call one a Software Engineer?
