PE as a career move?

[rjgoebel]

I just got out of a good engineering school about a month ago with my EE degree. I got my FE exam passed and am now working at a forensics company. I have found out that the FE is important in this field because marketing yourself as a knowedgable EE is very important. I could see how this would also be the case in consulting engineering as well.

I can sort of see why the PE might be nice for having on your resume as a career thing, but is it worth the trouble? How does getting a PhD compare to getting your FE? I have heard horror stories already about the PE exam, and I was hoping someone would be kind enough to shed some light on being a Professional Engineer vs. being an academic, and what a PE mark does for you?

 

[celtic]

Re: PE as a career move?

Have a look at the "proposed" employement outlook for any given field: http://www.bls.gov/oco/

 

[hutch75]

Re: PE as a career move?

I feel that the PE license is a very valuable piece of documentation to add to one's resume. I know that it enabled me to get my current position with a major manufacturing corporation. I passed my PE after receiving my Michigan Master's/Contractor's license ten years ago. As for the test, it was not very hard, but I had the benefit of taking a very good review course that was sponsored by my undergraduate college.

 

[dereckbc]

Re: PE as a career move?

Originally posted by rjgoebel:
I can sort of see why the PE might be nice for having on your resume as a career thing, but is it worth the trouble?

Only if you can see the difference between 50K and 100K+ a year.

 

[charlie b]

Re: PE as a career move?

Originally posted by rjgoebel: I have found out that the FE is important in this field because marketing yourself as a knowledgeable EE is very important.

Nobody is going to recognize an EE as being "knowledgeable" by virtue of their possessing the title "Engineer in Training," or what is now being called in some jurisdictions, "Engineering Intern." The Fundamentals of Engineering exam does not focus on any specific engineering discipline, such as "Electrical Engineering." Rather, it is a broad-spectrum test of fundamentals: math, chemistry, physics, mechanics, mechanical engineering, materials science, engineering economics, and yes, electrical engineering. I cringe when I see a resume with the designation "EIT" following the name.

I can sort of see why the PE might be nice for having on your resume as a career thing, but is it worth the trouble?

Unless you plan on teaching or performing research for a living, it is the only thing that is worth the trouble. The degree and the FE exam are just two tickets to punch on your way to recognition within the profession. A solid work history is another ticket. The PE is another ticket, but it is the one for which the others have prepared you.

The seal and signature of a PE on a document means one thing, and one thing only: "This work was done by me, or under my supervision." Inherent in that statement is the assertion that the State has seen fit to grant me the privilege of making that statement. The seal carries with it the duty to safeguard the health and safety of the public, and the duty to act in a professional and ethical manner.

 

[krista]

Re: PE as a career move?

Go for it! My husband and I both got degrees at technical colleges and never ended up getting our PE licenses. We both worked in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering offices and had good jobs for twelve years. But last year we started our own consulting firm. Problem is, we can't certify anything ourselves, so we always have to pay someone to supervise our own work.

Believe me - the PE is worth it. You'll regret it if you don't get it. And do it while you're young! It's much harder to go back and pursue it when your, oh, say, 35 or so, like us.

 

[krista]

Re: PE as a career move?

By the way, I am a CET (Certified Engineering Technician), and I passed an exam to get that certification that claims to be much harder than the PE exam. And guess what... it means nothing to anyone but me because it's not recognized like the PE license is.

 

[ron]

Re: PE as a career move?

NICET exams are setup a bit different than the PE exams. For example, I took a series of fire alarm related exams (each relatively short) in an afternoon, and now magically I'm a CET. I needed some trade specific information regarding codes and references, but nothing too intense. The title CET seems to apply to a level 1 through level 4, each requiring more of these short exams.
The PE exam on the other hand has two full day exams, that require knowledge from both undergraduate classes throughout the spectrum of education and professional experience. I had a very different experience when I took those two.

I believe two very different certifications/licenses. In some jurisdictions a CET can perform work on equipment or layout a system, but not much else. It is a certification. A PE has a license.

 

[charlie b]

Re: PE as a career move?

Originally posted by krista:And do it while you're young! It's much harder to go back and pursue it when your, oh, say, 35 or so, like us.

I got my first PE license when I was 34, and my Masters Degree at 36. My wife got her Masters at 40. You are never "not longer young enough" to pursue a degree, to obtain a license or certification, or to take any other grand step in your career.

I have to agree with Krista, in that it gets harder to do it as you get older. But after all, how old will you be in ten years, if you do not do it?

 

[lady sparks lover]

Re: PE as a career move?

For me, I would go for it!! Not only does it mean salary, it means you can stamp your own drawings, and start your own business. I got 5000 dollars more when I passed my EIT. So it helps, but the PE, I think is another 10-20 percent.

I'm looking forward to mine...Only 12 weeks/90 days until the test!!

 

[jeff43222]

Re: PE as a career move?

How do you think outsourcing will affect engineering as a career field? I heard recently that something like 50% of all engineering work could be outsourced in the not-so-distant future. If that were to happen, I'm sure a lot of people would think twice about going to engineering school. Also, if more and more work is outsourced, fewer and fewer EITs would be needed, and the long-term effect would be fewer PEs, since you pretty much can't become a PE without actual engineering experience.

I never took the FE, but I am eligible to sit for the exam since I have a BSEE. I worked in computer hardware development and got to experience the effect outsourcing has had on that industry (pay raises not even keeping up with inflation). In real dollar terms, I was making less money the day I got laid off than I was making the day they hired me three and a half years earlier.

I'd hate to take the FE, get an engineering job, and pursue PE licensure, only to watch more and more engineering work get sent elsewhere.

 

[charlie b]

Re: PE as a career move?

The trick is to find the company to which the work is being outsourced. It's called "consulting." The other trick is that you must remain billible in that business, or run the risk of being laid off.

 

[jeff43222]

Re: PE as a career move?

The outsourcing I was referring to was the kind that sends work to other countries, where wages are significantly lower than they are here. I don't know if I want to move overseas again just for a job.