It's pervasive in this industry, no matter the sub-discipline.
That sort of crap doesn't happen in other, mature engineering fields. At least not to the extent it does in computing. It's as if there is some unaddressed need to be considered among the intellectual elite that festers and ferments into casual, ego driven aggression.
You must have not dealt with other engineering disciplines. At least in software engineering you don't have to pass exams and get a "Professional Engineer" certification from the government in order to get a job.
First, it's NCEES who creates and grades the PE certification, not the government.
Second, with the exception of civil engineers other disciplines have no problems getting jobs without licenses. The license just opens more doors and makes finding work easier.
That sort of crap doesn't happen in other, mature engineering fields. At least not to the extent it does in computing. It's as if there is some unaddressed need to be considered among the intellectual elite that festers and ferments into casual, ego driven aggression.