Just like to add to the general discussion here, and say that I was educated by lecturers who were all CEngs, and employed by Heads of Dept. who were also CEng registered. So I am familiar with their job roles and the levels of competences they demonstrated.


In those days, they used the old fashioned GPO telephones to make the odd call per day, and wrote the one memo per day, or even per week - or got their staff to type it up - and life was a lot stress free then compared to today.  The technical engineers hardly needed to use the phone or write up a memo. Back then, membership and registration fees were a lot cheaper , and there was no need or requirement to even contact your PEI let alone the EC (CEI). So life was considerbely stress free.


Nowadays computers run our lives more so than we would like. Many people, particularly the young are getting hooked  on games and online betting, and suffering from mental health problems and debt.


As engineers we have to question whether doing regular online CPD in addition to all other computer related work is really making us better engineers today than say 20, 30, or 40 years ago? Are we achieving  considerbally more spending power today compared to engineers of the past? - education, houses, cars, consumables, clothing, travel - are be more happy today compared to engineers in the past?


We have to question whether the integration of computers in our everyday lives today are doing the chores we were promised in programs like Tomorrows World back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, or are we now being kept busy by doing chores like CPD to justify the computers purchased by the PEIs and EC? Who's the master and who's the slave?


We can talk much more easily and quickly than we can write. So when computers eventually become more developed with AI, then we will do away with writing altogether, finally be able to produce documents; create spread sheets, and presentations, send voice activated emails, and finally send in voice activated CPDs to whoever needs to see it; and we will finally be free of the chores we were promised.

AL:Good evening John, how was your day today?
MB: It was hectic. I missed me lunch break, and I haven't had me dinner yet!
AL:I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like me to prepare you your favorite meal? It will be ready in 5 minutes?
MB: That'll be great.
AL:Would you like to add anything to your CPD to the Engineering Council?
MB: Yes tell them to get notted, set in charm mode.
AL: Of course! I will add some thought provoking text based on your automated work diary of the day. I see from your diary you attended a safety critical seminar on the new bridge construction. I shall build your CPD on the contents of that.
MB: No problem!
AL:R.P and A.M sent you replies on the discussion forum about sending regular CPDs to the EC; countering your objections to it. Would you like to hear them?
MB: Oh go on then.
AL: R.P said: blah blah blah; and A.M agreed with him by replying: blah blah blah.
AL: Would you like me to reply on your behalf?
MB: Too right! Tell them both to get notted!
AL: I have sent them, generated text based on your original objection to CPD, in the mode of charming style pre-selected.
MB: Thanks for that AL. Where would I be without you? Now what happened about me dinner?
AL: It's ready and waiting for your attention. Shall I bring it to you while you're watching your favourite TV program "Red Dwarf"?
MB: Yes and hurry up about it.


You get my drift.

Just like to add to the general discussion here, and say that I was educated by lecturers who were all CEngs, and employed by Heads of Dept. who were also CEng registered. So I am familiar with their job roles and the levels of competences they demonstrated.


In those days, they used the old fashioned GPO telephones to make the odd call per day, and wrote the one memo per day, or even per week - or got their staff to type it up - and life was a lot stress free then compared to today.  The technical engineers hardly needed to use the phone or write up a memo. Back then, membership and registration fees were a lot cheaper , and there was no need or requirement to even contact your PEI let alone the EC (CEI). So life was considerbely stress free.


Nowadays computers run our lives more so than we would like. Many people, particularly the young are getting hooked  on games and online betting, and suffering from mental health problems and debt.


As engineers we have to question whether doing regular online CPD in addition to all other computer related work is really making us better engineers today than say 20, 30, or 40 years ago? Are we achieving  considerbally more spending power today compared to engineers of the past? - education, houses, cars, consumables, clothing, travel - are be more happy today compared to engineers in the past?


We have to question whether the integration of computers in our everyday lives today are doing the chores we were promised in programs like Tomorrows World back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, or are we now being kept busy by doing chores like CPD to justify the computers purchased by the PEIs and EC? Who's the master and who's the slave?


We can talk much more easily and quickly than we can write. So when computers eventually become more developed with AI, then we will do away with writing altogether, finally be able to produce documents; create spread sheets, and presentations, send voice activated emails, and finally send in voice activated CPDs to whoever needs to see it; and we will finally be free of the chores we were promised.

AL:Good evening John, how was your day today?
MB: It was hectic. I missed me lunch break, and I haven't had me dinner yet!
AL:I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like me to prepare you your favorite meal? It will be ready in 5 minutes?
MB: That'll be great.
AL:Would you like to add anything to your CPD to the Engineering Council?
MB: Yes tell them to get notted, set in charm mode.
AL: Of course! I will add some thought provoking text based on your automated work diary of the day. I see from your diary you attended a safety critical seminar on the new bridge construction. I shall build your CPD on the contents of that.
MB: No problem!
AL:R.P and A.M sent you replies on the discussion forum about sending regular CPDs to the EC; countering your objections to it. Would you like to hear them?
MB: Oh go on then.
AL: R.P said: blah blah blah; and A.M agreed with him by replying: blah blah blah.
AL: Would you like me to reply on your behalf?
MB: Too right! Tell them both to get notted!
AL: I have sent them, generated text based on your original objection to CPD, in the mode of charming style pre-selected.
MB: Thanks for that AL. Where would I be without you? Now what happened about me dinner?
AL: It's ready and waiting for your attention. Shall I bring it to you while you're watching your favourite TV program "Red Dwarf"?
MB: Yes and hurry up about it.


You get my drift.