The Downfall of Professional Mechanical Engineers?

 

Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers. Founded on the year 1952. Its purpose is to unite and enjoin the mechanical engineers here in the country in the pursuit of professional growth. According to the 2018 PSME survey, the society of mechanical engineers consists of engineers between the age of 22 to 66 and above. In this blog, we will be talking about the issue that the country is facing at the moment. It's an inadequate amount of Professional Mechanical Engineers (PME) in the country. Is the number of Professional Mechanical Engineers enough to meet the demands of the consumers? Before we dive deeper into this issue, let's first talk about the difference between Professional Mechanical Engineers and a Registered Mechanical Engineer

Registered? Professional? What's their difference? Well, a registered mechanical engineer means a person who holds an accredited engineering qualification, whether working privately or in the employment of an engineering public organization and is registered as such by the council (Registered Engineer Definition, n.d.). On the other hand, a professional mechanical engineer is an engineer licensed by a state board of registration to practice engineering (Professional Engineer Licensure, n.d.). It is the highest standard of competence, a symbol of achievement and assurance of quality. What's the reason behind the inadequate amount of professional mechanical engineers? 

In my personal opinion, the reason behind this issue is because of the eagerness of engineers to earn. Based on my observation Filipinos after they graduate, choose to join the industry to gain experience and eventually work overseas. Having a professional license is not their top priority. Even though RMEs have limited practice to PMEs, they still pay well, and in today's period of time, earning to provide food on the table is challenging, hence engineers tend to choose work over a license. What's the significance of PME? It's significant because it shows one's dedication in obtaining the highest possible recognition in our field. It proves that you have the ability to practice mechanical engineering and use your skills to serve the public. Aside from this, as I have said earlier PMEs have more career options compared to RMEs, but affiliated with this is the level of difficulty an engineer has to go through to obtain it. So if I were to be asked if I would take up this exam, I would say yes. It would not just give me the highest standard of competence, it would also open a lot of doors for me in terms of career opportunities whether it be corporate or on-site.  

Lastly, I think one of the main reasons for this issue is that mechanical engineers are often overlooked in the country. They are not given that importance, yet they play a huge role in the development of the country. The income of mechanical engineers does not fit well into their job. The same reason why they choose to work overseas. Nevertheless, this serves as a lesson that when we start to pursue this path, we must finish strong. We must aim for the highest possible recognition in our field. It's not the downfall of Professional Mechanical Engineers, it's the opposite. Our field will come back stronger and produce more qualified mechanical engineers in the future.

REFERENCES

• Professional Engineer Licensure. (n.d.). College of Engineering. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/academics/undergrad/profengr/#:%7E:text=A%20Professional%20Engineer%20(PE)%20is,achievement%20and%20assurance%20of%20quality.

• Registered Engineer Definition. (n.d.). Law Insider. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/registered-engineer#:%7E:text=Registered%20Engineer%20means%20a%20person,as%20such%20by%20the%20Council.