This is just silly. Lots of hubris here. It's also silly to spend much time thinking about this.
Of course we are engineers. OP uses "building a bridge" as an example of 'real' engineers. This is patently ridiculous on the face of it.
The one thing that unites us is we like to build. Whether it's the great pyramids or the latest social network, engineers are the ones who get it done.
We build. That's what engineers do. We build something to solve some problem whether it's with bits and electrons or with larger physical mediums like slabs of concrete. Engineers are builders and they build to solve some particular use case.
"Scientists build to learn. Engineers learn to build"
I believe the comparisons between how engineering is practiced make this more than "silly". The purpose of the writing is not to answer that shallow question, but to better understand both fields.
When OP said that we are not 'real' engineers because we have not built a bridge is when I stopped reading. For how could anyone take him seriously after that?
'Real' engineers are not judged by whether or not they can build a bridge as if it's some rite of passage to being a real engineer. That's ridiculous on the face of it.
That he used this example as some kind of proof to justify his argument is where he lost me.
This was in reference to a quote from a software developer comparing software development to building a bridge. That is why "he has never built a bridge" was emphasized.
Of course we are engineers. OP uses "building a bridge" as an example of 'real' engineers. This is patently ridiculous on the face of it.
The one thing that unites us is we like to build. Whether it's the great pyramids or the latest social network, engineers are the ones who get it done.
We build. That's what engineers do. We build something to solve some problem whether it's with bits and electrons or with larger physical mediums like slabs of concrete. Engineers are builders and they build to solve some particular use case.
"Scientists build to learn. Engineers learn to build"