On 29 March 2026 21:41:01 BST, Steve wrote :
>>>
>>> We could debate the benefits and costs of adherence to this degree of
>>> diligence, but the fact is that a lot of bad code gets written,
>>> damaging society and the programming profession. 

Things are improving, but "IT" is still (in many places) still where engineering was a few centuries ago - people "winging it" and learning from their mistakes. Over time, that learning coalesced into design standards and the like.

>>Absolutely agree. I'd argue that what I'd like to see - a kind of
>>"guild" for IT workers, regulating both skills/experience and
>>remuneration/working conditions - could potentially raise both the
>>general quality of the code, and the status of the programmers.
>
>If such a thing existed in the early/mid 1980's, I'd have never been
>able to become a professional programmer. I didn't have an "Uncle
>George" in the union (whoops, I mean guild).

That sounds like the sort of USA unionised environment I've read about - though I believe some industries in the UK were closed shops, albeit of the "as long as you pay your dues (subscription) and aren't blacklisted, you're in" kind.

Have you looked at the BCS <https://www.bcs.org/> ? The "IT" equivalent of the engineering institutions.
If you look at the requirements for the various levels of membership and registration, while there are required qualifications for each, I'm fairly sure they are all "or relevant experience".

I went through professional registration with the IET - and while my degree wasn't acrredited, meaning I didn't meet that requirement, I fell back on decades of experience instead.

Just my 2d worth, Simon