What is a PE License and Why Do I want It ?(Pt.2)

Why Do I Want to be a Professional Engineer?

As promised, I’ve put together some great benefits that come with a PE license here. This is the second part of the article- What is a PE License and Why Do I Want It? If you haven’t already, please go back and read that first.

Personal pride. As I said in the last article, the first benefit and the most important of all, is personal pride and satisfaction. Different people get inspired by different things and choose different career paths. And people should take pride in whatever they’ve chosen to be. I grew up seeing my brother becoming an engineer and that brought him enormous respect in the family and in the local community. I used to visit him at work when I was in high school and got enlightened by what an engineering degree afforded him. All things combined inspired me to become an engineer too. I have a lot of respect for this profession.

Special consideration for hiring. In a competitive job market, hiring managers pay special attention to those with a PE license. Everyone meets the minimum qualifications for a given position nowadays but a PE stands out in ranking for hiring consideration. I work for a government agency and I can tell you that there’s a high demand for professional engineers in government. Demand for PEs in private sector is probably even higher. From my experience talking to hiring managers on a few occasions, let me tell you that a professional engineer ranks higher than other potential candidates.

Better pay and benefits. As soon as you get your license, you get a raise or a promotion. Employers know a PE can quit and get a better job in no time. So to keep you, they raise your salary and often offer you better benefits. If an engineering degree open up many possibilities then a PE license makes it unlimited. New horizons open doors to professional engineers that otherwise be closed.

Better job security. Professional engineers enjoy better job security over their colleagues. They’re an asset to their employers. A decision or opinion from a PE carries more weight and entrusted by public more. When construction plans or designs are submitted to a government agency like Transportation or Environmental Protection for approval, the documents must be signed and sealed by a PE. If a company downsizes in a bad economic time or government cuts costs by laying people off, guess who they’re going to get rid of first, the non-PEs. There’re positions in government agencies that have to be held by professional engineers. So PEs get to stay.

Professional engineers can start their own business. A PE license gives someone the authority to sign off on engineering plans and documents. This gives engineers the abilities to open up engineering firms. Many if not all, of the engineering consulting firms once started by professional engineers. Technical documents submitted to a government agency are almost always required to be validated and signed by a professional engineer. Companies hire consulting engineers to design structures, prepare work plans, oversee a project, and sign technical documents. These demands keep engineering firms busy all year long.

Staying educated in the field. There’s a continuing education requirement that comes with a PE license. To keep your license valid, you must attend classes or seminars or do other educational activities related to your field for certain number of hours each year. You have no choice but to stay informed about what you do. This means PEs know what they’re talking about.

You’re an engineer for life. As long as you keep your license active, you can continue to reap its benefits for life.  That means you can work until your retirement and then open your own engineering business and start a second career that is as exciting as the previous one and make tons of money. Unlike many other professions where you lose your relevance to the industry as soon as you retire, a professional engineer is always a professional engineer and continue to carry economic value.

In addition, there’re many other good reasons for which someone should consider a PE license. I’ve listed only a few here.