A comparison of the socialization and skill development of engineers in France and Japan reveals clear differences in the education/training, status, and professional/career development of engineers in the two countries. In France, engineers complete more than 5 years of initial training after the baccalaureate degree and subsequent entry into higher education, whereas most Japanese engineers complete 4 years of training. Within the engineering profession in both countries, there is a definite hierarchy of engineers that is based on the academic strength of the educational institutions at which they received their training. In France, engineers' status is clearly defined by their title; there is no formal recognition of the title of engineer as a prerequisite for entering companies in Japan. French companies recruit engineers according to their individual needs, whereas Japanese companies systematically recruit a certain number of engineers each year regardless of their specific or immediate needs. French engineers enter companies with recognized skills; entry-level Japanese engineers acquire professional status through on-the-job training. Individual strategies play a much bigger role in engineers' career advancement in France than in Japan. Japanese engineers work largely in groups, whereas French engineers tend to become confined to their own territory. (MN)