Engineering is a challenging, rewarding, and lucrative career any young person can enter. As a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.), you will be able to apply knowledge in math, science, and problem solving ingenuity to develop solutions for practical problems around society. Although becoming a professional engineer is no easy feat. Much like the path toward becoming a doctor or lawyer, it is littered with requirements. But once those requirements are completed, becoming a licensed Professional Engineer is a recipe for great career success. Here are the general steps toward getting your PE.
The first task should be to complete an undergraduate education in an engineering or engineering connected program of study. By no means is it easy to complete as such an education will likely require long hours of study and plenty of problem solving. Generally this will require at least 4 years of work at a college or university.
The FE Exam (stands for Fundamentals of Engineering Exam) is a formal proctored exam that must be taken on the path toward becoming a professional engineer. The exam was developed in order to test out your general mathematics, science, and engineering skills. As mentioned previously, these are core competencies one would expect to gain in an undergrad engineering program. The exam is given at two times during the year and much like other standardized tests, requires preparation and study beforehand.
In order to ultimately apply for licensure, you should have career experience, usually for a minimum of four years after your engineering graduation date. As dictated by your state’s engineering board, you are required to have experience that portrays technical knowledge and increasing responsibilities in your job positions. Essentially this would mean your work needs to be truly engineering in nature. Job assignments such as design work, determining equipment specifications, as well as carrying out complex troubleshooting will certainly be acceptable. Job assignments like administrative duties, craft work, or data entry would not be acceptable. This particular experience should be documented in the manner of a written narrative that explains your engineering efforts. That data is required when you submit your license application.
In addition to your working experience document, you will need to submit a formal application with your state’s engineering board. In addition, you will have to supply various important pieces of data such as official college transcripts and reference letters from other professional engineers. Check your state board’s website to confirm the specific requirements.
The PE Exam (stands for Professional Engineering examination) the last and final step. The PE exam is different in that you must show practical knowledge exclusively within your individual part of engineering (i.e. civil, electrical, etc). This test tends to be more difficult as well and thus is open book. Once you’ve successfully passed, you’re finished!
Getting your PE license will take self-discipline and a strong work ethic. But it is well worth it. Professional engineers stand for technical knowledge and professionalism. In addition, they can be rewarding and lucrative careers. Thus it is a valuable credential any engineer can decide to pursue.
About the Author: Learn more about being a professional engineer. Get more information at FE Exam Review.
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