The barriers to AI engineering are crumbling fast

Are you saying that true Data Engineers typically do more than just use Tableau or run OLAP queries, or do you see the title 'Data Engineer' itself as a bit of a red flag these days? I’m pretty early in my career and was leaning toward Data Engineering, but hearing stuff like this makes me wonder if going for SWE might be smarter.

The better paying role is a Backend SWE (usually). A really a good data engineer is just a Backend SWE who has specific experience.

A bad one is a SQL analyst whose been promoted too much.

For starters, Engineer only makes sense if the person actually holds an engineering degree, taken at an institution validated by the Engineering Order.

That's a legalism that isn't universal. Personally, I think that anyone who engages in engineering is logically an engineer. Maybe not a certified engineer, but an engineer nonetheless.

So is anyone that cooks a Chef.

My Kiss The Chef apron says yes.

"Chef" is a specific job title. Anyone who has that job, regardless of qualifications, is a "chef", yes.

LOL! A butcher cuts meat and so does a surgeon. Who would you prefer to operate on you?

as as data engieer/data architect , agreed. there are allot of 'tools' experts who are data engineers but can't code a lick.

Yep, that's where I am at - the amount of times people have talked to me about the most recent podcast where they've heard how a new tool will solve all their problems and really its some samey mix of CDC and bad python+sql is... a lot.

I think there's not a ton of political palatability for realizing most of their projects are like one API and a sane use of some SQL away.

"The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property"[1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering

Yeah but can they deliver, and handle a kitchen, like one that actually has a diploma in Culinary arts?

Sometimes they can, sometimes not. What is your point here?

Some can, some can't. A degree is no guarantee that the person is able to perform at a high level, and the lack of a degree is no guarantee that they can't.

But none of that is relevant to my point, which is largely linguistic. If a person is doing a thing, then they are "a person who is doing the thing."

If a person is engineering, then they're an engineer by definition. That's not saying they're a good or bad engineer, just that's what they're doing.

There is a role for certifications, of course! But those certifications are intended to mark a lower boundary of ability, nothing more. Rather than overloading "engineer" to indicate that a person has a certification, I'd advocate calling them something like a "certified engineer". That would be correct and accurate, and wouldn't exclude a whole lot of great defacto engineers.