"Rob" wrote in message
om...
David Looser wrote:

Again, just as with the consultancy you'd need to have a deep knowledge
of the subject before any book you wrote would carry the sort of
credibility needed for that. And deep knowledge starts with learning the
existing state of the art. The self-taught aren't going to have that.

Quite. But and and, you don't need a formal qualification to do that. You
can be self-taught. I'd stress this is IME and it just seems obvious.

Being self-taught was all fine and dandy in the past when things were
simpler than today. But science and engineering these days are so complex
that becoming a recognised authority purely through being self-taught is a
bit of a non-starter except, perhaps, for the rare true geniuses of this
world. Whilst I can see that in theory a self-taught genius could write a
book of such quality that it stands in lieu of formal qualifications I'm not
aware of any such book written in the last 50 years in electrical
engineering by somebody who did not already have formal qualifications in
the subject.

As far as chartered engineer status is concerned I'm not aware of any
awarding body that doesn't demand both relevant qualifications and proven
experience before conferring the title.

Where I work 3 of the senior academic staff in our team of 9 have no
relevant first degree, and no higher degree. One of them published 8 peer
reviewed papers last year. The other is leading consultant (or at least
was, apparently). The other is normal, er, like me (apart from the senior
bit, obviously).


I am surprised. In my experience the world of academia is even more keen on
formal qualifications than industry is. Senior academics usually have
doctorates. But not all disciplines are equal and I don't know which
discipline you are talking about.


What I'm trying to get across is that while the qualification is
necessary, it isn't always, or even often, sufficient.

I never suggested it was. For anyone starting out on a career in engineering
the formal qualifications are merely the start.

It'd be nice if you could wash yourself of 'necessary'. When I left school
I worked in a surveying office. After a while they let me loose and I was
out doing surveys, which were then signed off by a chartered surveyor
who'd never seen the building/land.

In other words you were an apprentice (even if you weren't called that);
that was the way things used to be done in many trades, though not in the
professions where having formal education first has long been considered
necessary.

Of course, having a qualification helps. But it doesn't necessarily mean
you can do whatever you're qualified to do any better than someone with
lesser or no qualifications.

Perhaps in theory. Science and engineering is built on the considerable body
of knowledge created by those who went before. So unless you want every
practitioner to have to re-invent the discipline for himself it is necessary
to do a considerable amount of book-work before you can even begin to gain
experience, and this is far more easily done in an institution where
teaching and guidance are on offer than trying to do the whole thing
unaided.

And personally I'm glad that my local hospital only employs doctors who have
actually been taught medicine and examined on their knowledge and I would
still far rather travel in a plane piloted by someone who had actually been
trained to fly it.

David.


David.