Cox never claimed to be an engineer, he just put some good ideas down on paper. The logical course would be to have a licensed professional engineer follow up on it. Yet the response reads more like - how dare you even THINK, commoner peasant! By the same logic, I was never formally trained on programmable logic controllers (PLC’s) even though I have an electrical engineering degree. What I learned was by experience. Yet by this logic I am not qualified to work on PLC’s.
Yes, I am a licensed professional engineer, but I seek some of the design input from plant operators, construction trades people, and the like. These are people who have to live and work with the end product, and also see details that I might not otherwise see, due to their perspective. Does that diminish my professionalism? Heck, no! Yet I have run into some PE’s who are on a high horse (”I have a PE license, peon. You don’t know anything. Do as you’re told.”) Those kind I have found are amazing at construction sites, especially at generating complaints and greivances.
PE Electrical/Control Systems
The question posed was: do you need a license from the government to engineer? There is no license required to petition the government.