In Canada the title "engineer" is a legally protected term. You can't legally call yourself a software engineer without going through the Engineers Canada accreditation.
I had a friend question me for calling myself a software engineer (even though they referred to themselves as one.) I've been programming for 15 years (8 years professionally) by 26 but they were unemployed and not practising after getting their BSc.
So in my opinion, there's more charlatanism coming out of academia than from honest professionals who have established a career and deep knowledge of their profession. But then again, I'm not building dams and bridges. So the answer mostly depends on what you're doing and how you got there.
I had a friend question me for calling myself a software engineer (even though they referred to themselves as one.) I've been programming for 15 years (8 years professionally) by 26 but they were unemployed and not practising after getting their BSc.
So in my opinion, there's more charlatanism coming out of academia than from honest professionals who have established a career and deep knowledge of their profession. But then again, I'm not building dams and bridges. So the answer mostly depends on what you're doing and how you got there.