Re: State Laws

[Dennis Meier <2dm -at- EXECU -dot- NET>]

Jeanette Feldhousen has the same understanding of the use of "engineer"
that I do. I'm also an engineer by degree, but since I started work at a
national laboratory--where a Ph.D. (which I don't have) means more than a
P.E. (or did back then, at least)--I never had a reason to get certified. I
believe I may be restricted from running a yellow pages ad as "Dennis
Meier, Engineer", but I also believe I am within my rights to offer
engineering services.

If anything, I would think that technical communicators might want to
refrain from adopting the title "Information Engineer" simply because the
term "engineer" seems to be overused and diluted at times, not because of
any legal restrictions. Back in the ancient days of '72, I remember being
taught that engineers adapt the laws of science to the betterment of
humankind, and yet today we have "software engineers", who aren't in fact
engineers according to the old definition, but definitions change with
time.

I prefer using Technical Communicator myself simply because my middle-aged
brain is stuck with the '72 definition, and insists engineering means some
direct application of physics or chemistry, but if Information Engineer
feels better for you, why not go with it?

Dennis Meier
2(DM) Technical Communications
http://www.2dm.com or http://www.execu.net/2dm/index.htm

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