The discipline of software development has advanced significantly and the public should be assured that the computing professional has knowledge of the best and safest way to develop computing systems. The possession of a computing license is no assurance that the a person with this knowledge will not engage in malicious or fraudulent activity, just as being a licensed physician is no guarantee that a physician will avoid malicious or fraudulent activity. The professionalization of medicine provides at least two forces which discourage such behavior,viz., a code of ethics and professional standards of practice. The physician subscribes to a code of ethics which characterizes the primary obligation of the physician and purpose of the practice of medicine as the care of the patient. The professionalization of computing strengthens the concept that computer software has only one function- to perform some service for a client or customer.
Professionalization incorporates both a code of ethics and a set of professional standards.
The physician is encouraged to follow the standards of the profession and the code of ethics because failure to do so will lead to the revocation of their license to practice. If computer professionals are licensed, they can be encouraged to follow professional standards in the same way. In neither case is it claimed that licensing makes a person competent or ethical. Without licensing there are no requirements for heightened care and no concept of professional malpractice. In several case, suits against software developers for malpractice have been overturned because they do not bear the marks of a profession.