Professional Designations

[fintstone]

I had one with a fake undergrad but had fooled a university into believing it was real, so he had completed a real MS (in some nonsense area). Since his undergrad is what qualified him, I would not certify him and let his management know his undergrad was fake. I am sure that they probably just covered it up (as they had been badly fooled and looked bad) ...but I know his certification was never resubmitted.

[wildthing]

I didn't realize MBA could be put at the end of someone's name. I've been around Financial Services so they have the whole lot: CFA, CFP, CPA. For Insurance, there's ACS, FLMI... I think these things require some form of certification exam.

[svandamme]

btw, at the other end of the spectrum, you can buy a squire foot of land in Scotland , online, and then be called Lord or Lair or Ser or Sir, dpending on what level of land you paid for

Not sure if you then automatically pick up a Groundskeeper Willy speech impediment or what

[Captain Ahab Jr]

You know why people use letters after their name because they're not clever enough to have them in front of their name

I've letters from a professional engineering degree I could use after my name but I prefer to let my resume sell my skills

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by dennis in se pa

People with masters degrees don't usually call themselves Master.

I do but it is usually followed by Bates

Seriously though, the worst, absolute worst are the PharmD's that insist on being called Dr. Dude, you are just a pharmacist. I actually met with a PharmD once that introduced herself as Dr then proscribed a medication for me. I was livid when I found out she was just a pharmacist. Actually filed a complaint with the hospital/clinic after I heard her tell some other patient the same. Totally hiding the ball and being untruthful. And yes, the med she proscribed didn't work.

Edit: I just realized I can't spell.

[RNajarian]

In the academic world we have our own version of “Stolen Valor.” The term Professor ONLY can be applied to a Full Time Tenured Faculty member who has had held tenure for a set period of time, usually 4 years after earning full tenure.

I am surprised at the part time faculty members whose official titles are “Adjunct Faculty” and are to be referred to as “Mr.,” or “Ms.,” asking students to refer to them as “Professor Smith.”

[David]

I do have P.E. on my business cards and email signature as sort of advertising because it allows me and my shop to do things others can’t in our company and industry like design special tools and lifting/rigging equipment. I think it brings a little more legitimacy to our turbine repairs with some customers.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by David

I do have P.E. on my business cards and email signature as sort of advertising because it allows me and my shop to do things others can’t in our company and industry like design special tools and lifting/rigging equipment. I think it brings a little more legitimacy to our turbine repairs with some customers.

I am in a similar boat. Of course, in Canada the Professional Engineer designation is P.Eng. I don’t put my educational credentials in my sig line - that’s posing.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by David

I do have P.E. on my business cards and email signature as sort of advertising because it allows me and my shop to do things others can’t in our company and industry like design special tools and lifting/rigging equipment. I think it brings a little more legitimacy to our turbine repairs with some customers.

I've had to teach/convince my PhD (Metallurgy) wife that while it's kind of a serious faux pas to do such internally at our little lab - when she goes outside, like to a military base or DC/London, her name does in fact end in PhD. It still starts with Debra, we're not going to be restarting hearts or reattaching limbs...

And heck yes, PE means $$$ if you're willing to swing your stamp around. That's business, not pompous. Like mrs mjohnson, I too am metallurgist - so PE wasn't really a path for me. Were it so, I'd be on it!

[David]

I don't usually do PE work for the public but occasionally I'll do a friend a favor by making them a stamped drawing for a house project. It helps on my own stuff too. I added a patio cover a couple years ago which requires a PE stamp for wind load. I did it all online but then decided to make a change so I went in and resubmitted the drawings for a new permit. As soon as the city inspector realized I was the PE on the drawing he quit asking questions, stamped the drawing and sent me on my way.

[GH85Carrera]

One of my wife's friends is married to a guy that should have a really large skull. He got his PhD in biochemistry, and was working as a professor at a prestigious college. A lot of his students were there only because they were in med school and his courses were required. They were all complaining about how hard it was for the test to even get into medical school. He said it can't be that bad, and with no studding or preparation took the test and scored the highest score that year. He decided to go back to school and become a doctor, and is now a ENT surgeon, so he is a double doctor. He met his wife when she was working as a professor teaching computer sciences. They make up the doctors cubed.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by wildthing

I didn't realize MBA could be put at the end of someone's name. .

i think that's like putting a 5K sticker on your car.

[wdfifteen]

When I was working as an engineer I guess I could have put RS after my name - but a T-shirt is better.



These shirts showed up at the local department store and disappeared in a week. Guys were wearing them to work until some GS-99 decided it wasn't appropriate attire for a government aerospace lab. I'm glad I still have my shirt to prove my bona fides.

[tadd]

A PhD is a doctor of philosophy.

In theory one has supposed to:
1. Define a problem
2. Experimented to find data about that problem
3. Communicated that effectively to their peers.

In theory there are no subsets of a PhD. You don’t get a physics or chemistry PhD. It’s just a PhD.

Mine took 8 years. A bit of a race at the end, cause if someone else publishes what your problem is, you are going sideways or starting over.

I use PhD on official correspondence and let others introduce me as Dr. Kippeny when I teach cause that is part of the reason they pay me. Be awesome in my area and solve their problems in a hurry.

I do have it on my checks, cause it did eat 8 years of my life, but that’s my guilty bit of pride.

[svandamme]

In the US, are you get paid to do a Doctorate? in Europe you typically are.
its a special statute, where you get a tax free allowance (not a bad one really) while you do the Doctorate...

Something to do with promoting the effort of the doctorate, so it can be done objectively

[tadd]

Originally Posted by svandamme

In the US, are you get paid to do a Doctorate? in Europe you typically are.
its a special statute, where you get a tax free allowance (not a bad one really) while you do the Doctorate...

Something to do with promoting the effort of the doctorate, so it can be done objectively

Depends on the subject area. The true sciences, those things that don’t have science in the name, like physics, chemistry, math, biology, and economics you get paid first few years as a teaching assistant, then later your advisor pays you from their grant money. It ain’t a lot.

At Vanderbilt it was teaching labs, typically while you are taking classes. I did a year of freshman, then a semester of organic, and lastly one of p-chem…cause the 40W argon ion pump laser died (tube filled with coolant water) and it ate up all the grant money to repair. So I was back ‘working’ for my supper and still doing research.

In other ‘sciences’, those that have science in the name, like social sciences, some get research stipends, many do not.