IS ENGINEERING A PROFESSION?

In order to determine whether engineering is a profession, the nature of profes- sions must fi rst be examined. As a starting point, it will be valuable to distinguish the word “profession” from other words that are sometimes used synonymously with “profession”: “job” and “occupation.” Any work for hire can be considered a job, regardless of the skill level involved and the responsibility granted. Engineering is certainly a job—engineers are paid for their services—but the skills and responsi- bilities involved in engineering make it more than just a job.

Similarly, the word “occupation” implies employment through which someone makes a living. Engineering, then, is also an occupation. How do the words “job” and “occupation” differ from “profession?”

The words “profession” and “professional” have many uses in modern society that go beyond the defi nition of a job or occupation. One often hears about “professional athletes” or someone referring to himself as a “professional carpen- ter,” for example. In the fi rst case, the word “professional” is being used to distin- guish the practitioner from an unpaid amateur. In the second case, it is used to indicate some degree of skill acquired through many years of experience, with an implication that this practitioner will provide quality services.

Neither of these senses of the word “professional” is applicable to engineers. There are no amateur engineers who perform engineering work without being paid while they train to become professional, paid engineers. Likewise, the length of time one works at an engineering-related job, such as an engineering aide or engineering technician, does not confer professional status no matter how skilled a technician one might become. To see what is meant by the term “professional engineer,” we will fi rst examine the nature of professions.

20 2.2 Is Engineering a Profession?

2.2.1 What Is a Profession? What are the attributes of a profession? There have been many studies of this ques- tion, and some consensus as to the nature of professions has been achieved. Attributes of a profession include:

1. Work that requires sophisticated skills, the use of judgment, and the exercise of discretion. Also, the work is not routine and is not capable of being mechanized.

2. Membership in the profession requires extensive formal education, not simply practical training or apprenticeship.

3. The public allows special societies or organizations that are controlled by mem- bers of the profession to set standards for admission to the profession, to set standards of conduct for members, and to enforce these standards.

4. Signifi cant public good results from the practice of the profession [ Schinzinger and Martin, 2000 ].

The terms “judgment” and “discretion” used in the fi rst part of this defi nition require a little amplifi cation. Many occupations require judgment every day. A sec- retary must decide what work to tackle fi rst. An auto mechanic must decide if a part is suffi ciently worn to require complete replacement, or if rebuilding will do. This is not the type of judgment implied in this defi nition. In a profession, “judg- ment” refers to making signifi cant decisions based on formal training and experi- ence. In general, the decisions will have serious impacts on people’s lives and will often have important implications regarding the spending of large amounts of money.

“Discretion” can have two different meanings. The fi rst defi nition involves being discrete in the performance of one’s duties by keeping information about customers, clients, and patients confi dential. This confi dentiality is essential for engendering a trusting relationship and is a hallmark of professions. While many jobs might involve some discretion, this defi nition implies a high level of signifi – cance to the information that must be kept private by a professional. The other defi nition of discretion involves the ability to make decisions autonomously. When making a decision, one is often told, “Use your discretion.” This defi nition is similar in many ways to that of the term “judgment” described previously. Many people are allowed to use their discretion in making choices while performing their jobs. However, the signifi cance and potential impact of the decision marks the difference between a job and a profession.

One thing not mentioned in the defi nition of a profession is the compensa- tion received by a professional for his services. Although most professionals tend to be relatively well compensated, high pay is not a suffi cient condition for professional status. Entertainers and athletes are among the most highly paid members of our society, and yet few would describe them as professionals in the sense described previously. Although professional status often helps one to get better pay and better working conditions, these are more often determined by economic forces.

Earlier, reference was made to “professional” athletes and carpenters. Let’s examine these occupations in light of the foregoing defi nition of professions and see if athletics and carpentry qualify as professions. An athlete who is paid for her appearances is referred to as a professional athlete. Clearly, being a paid athlete does involve sophisticated skills that most people do not possess, and these skills are

Chapter 2 Professionalism and Codes of Ethics 21

not capable of mechanization. However, substantial judgment and discretion are not called for on the part of athletes in their “professional” lives, so athletics fails the fi rst part of the defi nition of “professional.” Interestingly, though, professional athletes are frequently viewed as role models and are often disciplined for a lack of discre- tion in their personal lives.

Athletics requires extensive training, not of a formal nature, but more of a prac- tical nature acquired through practice and coaching. No special societies (as opposed to unions, which will be discussed in more detail later) are required by athletes, and athletics does not meet an important public need; although entertain- ment is a public need, it certainly doesn’t rank high compared to the needs met by professions such as medicine. So, although they are highly trained and very well compensated, athletes are not professionals.

Similarly, carpenters require special skills to perform their jobs, but many aspects of their work can be mechanized, and little judgment or discretion is required. Training in carpentry is not formal, but rather is practical by way of apprenticeships. No organizations or societies are required. However, carpentry certainly does meet an aspect of the public good—providing shelter is fundamental to society—although perhaps not to the same extent as do professions such as med- icine. So, carpentry also doesn’t meet the basic requirements to be a profession. We can see, then, that many jobs or occupations whose practitioners might be referred to as professionals don’t really meet the basic defi nition of a profession. Although they may be highly paid or important jobs, they are not professions.

Before continuing with an examination of whether engineering is a profession, let’s look at two occupations that are defi nitely regarded by society as professions: medicine and law. Medicine certainly fi ts the defi nition of a profession given previ- ously. It requires very sophisticated skills that can’t be mechanized, it requires judg- ment as to appropriate treatment plans for individual patients, and it requires discretion. (Physicians have even been granted physician–patient privilege, the duty not to divulge information given in confi dence by the patient to the physician.) Although medicine requires extensive practical training learned through an appren- ticeship called a residency, it also requires much formal training (four years of undergraduate school, three to four years of medical school, and extensive hands- on practice in patient care). Medicine has a special society, the American Medical Association (AMA), to which a large fraction of practicing physicians belong and that participates in the regulation of medical schools, sets standards for practice of the profession, and promulgates a code of ethical behavior for its members. Finally, healing the sick and helping to prevent disease clearly involve the public good. By the defi nition presented previously, medicine clearly qualifi es as a profession.

Similarly, law is a profession. It involves sophisticated skills acquired through extensive formal training; has a professional society, the American Bar Association (ABA); and serves an important aspect of the public good. (Although this last point is increasingly becoming a point of debate within American society!) The differ- ence between athletics and carpentry on one hand and law and medicine on the other is clear. The fi rst two really cannot be considered professions, and the latter two most certainly are.

2.2.2 Engineering as a Profession Using medicine and law as our examples of professions, it is now time to consider whether engineering is a profession. Certainly, engineering requires extensive and sophisticated skills. Otherwise, why spend four years in college just to get a

22 2.2 Is Engineering a Profession?

start in engineering? The essence of engineering design is judgment: how to use the available materials, components, and devices to reach a specifi ed objective. Discretion is required in engineering: Engineers are required to keep their employers’ or clients’ intellectual property and business information confi den- tial. Also, a primary concern of any engineer is the safety of the public that will use the products and devices he designs. There is always a trade-off between safety and other engineering issues in a design, requiring discretion on the part of the engineer to ensure that the design serves its purpose and fi lls its market niche safely.

The point about mechanization needs to be addressed a little more carefully with respect to engineering. Certainly, once a design has been performed, it can easily be replicated without the intervention of an engineer. However, each new situation that requires a new design or a modifi cation of an existing design requires an engineer. Industry commonly uses many computer-based tools for generating designs, such as computer-aided design (CAD) software. This shouldn’t be mistaken for mechanization of engineering. CAD is simply a tool used by engineers, not a replacement for the skills of an actual engineer. A wrench can’t fi x an automobile without a mechanic. Likewise, a computer with CAD software can’t design an antilock braking system for an automobile without an engineer.