SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Arrow Software Engineering 2007 (5 MB ZIP)

Software engineering. The explosive growth of information technology has created particular challenges for the association in the area of enforcement relating to the use of the terms "software engineer" and "software engineering". At present, many people who develop computer software refer to themselves as "software engineers" and to their work as "software engineering", even though they have never studied engineering and are not licensed or regulated in any way. PEO believes that this is a problem because it misleads the public. Because in Ontario you cannot call yourself an engineer, or say you practise engineering unless you are licensed by PEO, the public clearly perceives that a civil engineer, mechanical engineer or computer engineer is capable of providing services within the practice of professional engineering—and that they are accountable to their regulatory body for the success and safety of their work. There is no reason to believe that the public's expectations of software engineers are any different. Unless the title "software engineer" is applied only to those who are licensed professional engineers, the public will never know whether their faith has been misplaced.