In Texas you need a P.E. license, or did, anyway, to be an engineer.
It boils down to how much a state legally buys into the P.E. license exams. Some care a lot, some not at all, some have an alternative viewpoint for certification and bonding.
Is everyone who writes software in Australian similarly accredited? Is there a legal prohibition on calling yourself a "software engineer" in the absence of such credentials?
In the U.S., neither of those are true. I'm curious about how Australia might differ.
> Is everyone who writes software in Australian similarly accredited?
No. Someone could just study Computer Science and still write code.
> Is there a legal prohibition on calling yourself a "software engineer" in the absence of such credentials?
Unfortunately not. In Australia you seem to be able to call yourself anything you want with no consequence. At my previous company we had "Sales Engineers" and "Solutions Engineers" - even though none of them had been to University.
I doubt anyone would put "B.Eng" after their name unless it was real though.
My Software Engineering degree is accredited by the Australian Institute of Engineers. I am an Engineer.