an education
Saw this op ed in yesterdays paper,
If I had more time I would sit down and write him a letter,
Jim
I agree with him. I'm not a licensed land surveyor, but when someone asks me what I do for a living I usually just say that I'm a surveyor... it's easier than trying to explain what I do here and in any case most laymen wouldn't care about the distinction. If I were to advertise myself as a surveyor, or offer to provide surveying services, that would obviously be a problem. But for someone educated in engineering and with a background in engineering to be fined by the Board for calling himself an engineer is completely ridiculous. Some people take themselves way too seriously.
If I was that guy in Oregon, they'd stand a snowball's chance in Hades of getting that $500.
Lee D, post: 431866, member: 7971 wrote: I agree with him. I'm not a licensed land surveyor, but when someone asks me what I do for a living I usually just say that I'm a surveyor... it's easier than trying to explain what I do here and in any case most laymen wouldn't care about the distinction. If I were to advertise myself as a surveyor, or offer to provide surveying services, that would obviously be a problem. But for someone educated in engineering and with a background in engineering to be fined by the Board for calling himself an engineer is completely ridiculous. Some people take themselves way too seriously./QUOTE]
Lee D, post: 431866, member: 7971 wrote: I agree with him. I'm not a licensed land surveyor, but when someone asks me what I do for a living I usually just say that I'm a surveyor... it's easier than trying to explain what I do here and in any case most laymen wouldn't care about the distinction. If I were to advertise myself as a surveyor, or offer to provide surveying services, that would obviously be a problem. But for someone educated in engineering and with a background in engineering to be fined by the Board for calling himself an engineer is completely ridiculous. Some people take themselves way too seriously.
If I was that guy in Oregon, they'd stand a snowball's chance in Hades of getting that $500.
From what I read in the previous posts on this board, he was telling people in a formal setting he was an engineer and was given a chance to cease and desist but didn't. The guy was trying to call himself an engineer to bolster his case and make his results sound more legitimate. We are licensed for a reason and it is not for having an exclusive club to extort money as George more or less says.
If you say you are a surveyor to the general public aren't you really "advertising yourself" as a surveyor. If I went to law school but did pass the bar and not admitted to practice is it okay to call myself a lawyer? how about If I went to medical school but did not do a residency or take the boards, is it "simpler" to call myself a doctor?
Jim
I didn't read all of the background about this story, my comments are based primarily on what Will wrote. If the guy was representing himself as being an engineer, that's a little different. It's a fine line, but a line nonetheless.
I survey for a living, IMHO that makes me a surveyor, at least for the purpose of answering a simple question. I don't pretend to be a licensed professional, I don't claim to be a licensed professional, I don't advertise myself as a licensed professional, and I don't offer professional services. There's a difference between a surveyor and a Surveyor. You're comparing apples and oranges with doctors and lawyers.
James Vianna, post: 431884, member: 120 wrote: If you say you are a surveyor to the general public aren't you really "advertising yourself" as a surveyor
The answer to that is definitely not. If someone asks me what I do for a living, in the broad sense, what am I supposed to tell them, that I'm a bartender?? If the conversation is with someone to whom I feel like it's important to make the distinction I reply "I work for a Land Surveying company out of Houma". If someone says "hey can you come mark my corners for me" I reply "no, because I'm not a licensed professional. However, I'd be happy to recommend you to someone who is". And THAT is the distinction, not getting hung up on semantics.
You have to work in the land survey field for a certain number of years in all or most states. How can you get your license if you can't say that you met the minimum requirements working as a surveyor? Maybe some would say they are an apprentice surveyor or a "Land Survey Intern", but what do you do? You survey.
I'm sure somewhere there's a Shakesperian quote on shooting the messenger .
Example from yesterday afternoon. A guy who retired some while ago from the Local Authority phones me up and asks if I could carry out a survey for a company intending to reopen an old drift mine.
Yes, I can do a survey, but no, I won't because the company is reasonably going to expect whoever does it to sign safety certificates and I don't hold a underground licence to permit me to do so. It would be unprofessional to do the work and then expect somebody else to be employed to do the certification. (Note: mining surveyors in the UK are rarer than hen's teeth.)
James Vianna, post: 431847, member: 120 wrote: an education
Saw this op ed in yesterdays paper,
If I had more time I would sit down and write him a letter,
Jim
I don't see a permit on that birds nest. Seriously, I think they are taking it too far in this case. I think the analogy to the Manhattan building is correct. The man is studying and speaking about something that affected him personally and that he has an educational and experience background in. He is not charging a client for an engineering service. I'll be testifying in federal court next week and my report has references to court cases and discusses things that some consider engineering rather than surveying. The other side has already accused me of claiming to be an attorney because I told them I had a doctorate in law. I'm very careful not to use the word engineer or attorney in reference to myself even though I have degrees in both, but some folks will try to use it against you anyway. Don't need state boards giving them help. Should be allowed to talk about things you know about. I taught college courses in law and engineering, and I know engineers and lawyers who did a good job teaching surveying courses. Licensing gets a bit out of hand sometimes.