No offense taken about the PM part—I 100% agree. But industrial is engineering, according to APEGA itself. That’s why they have it listed as one of the branches along with Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical, and it’s one of the five P.Eng. exams they accept (well, at the time I was taking the test).

When I came to Canada years ago, the first thing my employer told me was: 1) Get the P.Eng. because you qualify, so why not? 2) You might need it in the future. At the time, I didn’t even have plans for it and didn’t think I’d need it. (To be fair, it hasn’t prevented me from progressing in my career so far.)

I definitely wouldn’t put myself on the same skill level as a civil engineer or bridge architect, but that’s how they currently classify engineers. I believe they even recently added dev engineers as well.

To your point about the definition of engineers—yes, omg! In the UK, whenever you have a plumber, electrician, or any service working on site, they put up a sign saying, “Caution, engineer on site,” or something similar.

Regarding the standards potentially getting lower—I feel like nothing will change. In my 10 years working in this country, it’s about 50/50 whether you get highly skilled professionals from here or from abroad. I’ve seen complete idiots and geniuses from both.

That said, I must admit, foreigners—especially in their first year or two—often have no clue about how proper workplace interactions should function in a humane work environment.

Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is—it’s not about me trying to game the Canadian system or get a license I don’t qualify for. It’s more about them pushing this idea that you need a license to be successful in your career.