Totally agree!
This. And some employers will not want to wait for you to fulfill the years of work and pass the tests.
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I definitely would not disagree that having an ABET degree is a good thing.
In my experience with working at a global semiconductor giant whose HQ is in APAC, the only time the US offices check if the applicant has an ABET degree is when they are from a no-name institution/program. Being in APAC, the name-chasing (both in prestige and strength of program) is real. This is also the case for at least 30 MEs and EEs I know and their [US] workplaces, provided that they are working in R&D (even when they need security clearance). Four of them (3 MEs, 1 EE) are in companies, including SpaceX, who work as direct contractors for NASA, two (MEs) working directly with NASA, and one (ME) working in a company as a direct contractor for the DoD. The rest are in small- to mid-sized non-government contractor companies.
Typically, when a job post says something along the lines of “must have an ABET-accredited degree” (whoever wrote that MatE job post needs to be retrained), it is either a copy-paste thing from another role or more of a screening thing by the HR to deter some applicants from applying.
If “a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering, or one of the Physical Sciences from an ABET accredited institution” does mean chemical engineering instead of chemistry, whoever wrote that likely needs to go back to English class, since the usual reading of that means a bachelor’s degree in any of:
- Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Engineering
- one of the Physical Sciences
Besides, except for the rare instances of geology, “one of the Physical Sciences” (which includes chemistry) would be programs that are not accredited by ABET.