International Open Source Alternative for "Engineers" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2012, 07:13:15 am
content: Many, many years ago, there was a thread that everyone absolutely loved called:"RANT: People calling themselves engineers"I think to summarize the thread, basically the only reason that unqualified people doing the job of an engineer couldn't call themselves an "Engineer" was that some self-interested, money-grubbing, thieving b****rd organisations have stolen the word and are holding it for ransom. There have even been unconfirmed reports of victims so desperate to get the word "Engineer" back into their own hands, that they have found themselves subjected to financial deprivation and slavery for 4 to 5 years.So I was thinking of a set of new international open source words that could supersede terms like Engineer, Doctor, Professor, etc. So far, I have worked out a few user friendly words.There are specialist words like:Schematiguist:A person fluent in the language of schematic diagrams.Electrocalculationist:Someone who's skill with Ohm's Law is so profound that they are no longer limited to using circuits straight out of application notes.All of these terms could fall under the general title ofElectronicist, and to maintain the dignity and standards, an open source international organization could be set up called the "Jeneral Order of Klever Electronicists" ( J.O.K.E for short).Seriously though, I think that an international professional qualification based around a contribution to open source projects is an interesting one. Open source projects have never cared less about academic qualifications, and many of the top open source people are totally brilliant by any reasonable judgement.So I am thinking of a real professional qualification based on an organized system where you do Open Source work. Anything you do that is not open source is ignored for this qualification. The qualification is not just a measure of your knowledge and skills, but also a sign that you have contributed something back to the open source world. There should be some kind of minimum standards that you have to pass.Anyone have any idea on what you would like to see in an open source "degree"?As part of an electronics qualifications, I would like to see someone at very least build some hardware that is fully open source - pictures, documentation, specifications, etc all publicly available. If they are an electronics designer, I would like to see them lay out a mid-sized circuit board (open-source again), as I think you can judge a lot about a person's skills, understanding and imagination from a board layout. As an employer, you could go online and look at the actual work someone has done.Any other ideas?RichardSchematiguist, J.O.K.E

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 06, 2012, 07:48:56 am
content: Um we have had this discussion already and from what you allude to (I got bored of reading it) it ended in a row, so having done the experiment once perhaps we don't need a repeat. This thread is now locked. Obviously if dave feels the subject should be debated he may unblock it again and you can have another row !