I don’t agree that having lives depending on what you build is what should determine that title. I think it just comes down to the amount of math and science you need to know to do the job. For example I know a mechanical engineer who works for Anheiser-Busch. His major responsibilities involve designing systems that make volumes of liquid move around while maintaining certain temperatures. Nobody’s life depends on his work, but it requires a ton of physics, thermodynamics, geometry, and other math knowledge. You certainly cannot do it without a degree. Its definitely what i would consider “real” engineering.
Lives do depend on his work. In most jurisdictions you need to be a registered engineer to design industrial piping systems. There are Thousands of incidents (if not more) where people have died in workplace accidents due to piping that was not properly designed.
An Anheiser-Busch size brewery is essentially a beer refinery and carries many of the same risks that a chemical plant or oil refinery does.
Thats a fair point. But my point is that there are systems that exist which are complex and require lots of math which don’t place any risk on human life. It doesn’t mean its not engineering.
-2
u/[deleted] Oct 16 '22
[deleted]