Heh. The Ford Motor Company DOES put out products that fail routinely. That's why I don't buy Fords.
There are such things as doctors that are not part of any medical board. They are not doctors of medicine. There are such things as engineers that are not part of civil engineering, electrical engineering, or any licensed form of engineering. Aerospace engineers are typically not licensed at all. They don't even have an FAA license like a mechanic has, nor even a pilot's license. There are a lot of them in Washington State, and the State does not require them to be licensed. They don't require electronics engineers to be licensed either.
There is such a thing as computer engineering. They are not programmers. They have little to do with software at all. They design new computer equipment and it's peripherals. They involve mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, electrical engineers, as well as lithographers and photographers. There is no title 'computer engineer', but there is computer engineering.
That said, your argument has a certain amount of merit. A lot of people that develop software are script kiddies calling themselves engineers. A lot of programmers out there couldn't code their way out of a wet paper bag. It's a real problem.
I design and build instrumentation for industrial controls, aerospace, and medical uses. These sensors are in critical locations. If they fail, loss of life or loss of property can result. Most of these sensors require software to run. That software is also in a position that can cause loss of life or loss of property. It MUST run reliably. The answer to this is thorough testing, which is NOT done by most companies.
Microsoft, for example, hires armies of 'testers', yet they do almost no testing at all. What they do is what is called 'regression testing' over and over. This form of testing is used to determine of a change in code causes a known bug to resurface. It does nothing for new bugs. Thus, Windows is not tested. Neither is Office, nor any any other product from Microsoft. If it compiles and manages to survive regression testing for a week or two, they ship it. This is why most people don't use Windows for web services, cell phones, or any critical application like industrial controls or aerospace controls. There are some, of course, and it is these products that crash and burn.
Apple isn't much better.
In the end, open software is the key. These are systems like Linux and Unix. If a fault develops in a package, people are free to correct it since they have the source already. Some packages are better maintained than others, of course. The quality of programmers writing this stuff is quite wide. Some are brilliant, others suck green tidewater. None are engineers.
Yet, software can and does run in life critical applications and property critical applications. All modern cars today are FADEC designs. That means the engine requires a computer to run them. They have no distributors, no carburetor, not even a cable connecting the accelerator pedal to the engine throttle. They are literally drive by wire. Aircraft too are using FADEC engines. Software runs those engines. If it screws up, the engine may be damaged, and the aircraft itself may be put at risk.
But they run very well. They have done so for years and years. Those glass cockpits you see when you board your flight are designed by engineers, some licensed, some not. They also require good programmers.
Is programming engineering? Generally no. Engineering has to do with the design and maintenance of engines or structure or engine or structural components. Programmers do not design the CPU nor maintain it. They just use it. Networks and software are not structural nor have anything to do with engines (except by application).
Does ABET own engineering? No. It is an accrediting organization. That's all. It is political in nature. They do, however, consider computer programming engineering, so your opening statement is wrong. I generally disagree with them on this point.
Do engineers create crappy products? Sure. Bridges fail, sometimes spectacularly (remember Galloping Gerdy?). Aircraft designs fail, sometimes spectacularly (remember the Comet?). Trains crash because their engineers fell asleep. All of these are developed by civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineers; all licensed. The train engineer is licensed also.
Does a license make an engineer? No. A license is generally an indication of a test completed, a fee paid, or both. That's all. States do not own or create engineers. Other nations have lots of engineers with no license at all. They simply don't require them. Yet, they are engineers.
Engineers are not created by ABET, not created by any license, and not created by any society, political organization, or even a degree. They are engineers because of what they do, not because of a political organization gives them any blessing of any sort.
