Reasons to get a Professional Engineer Exam License for Career Success

In any profession just a basic degree is not sufficient. Companies who give a job and clients who give a project look out for engineers who hold a PE License. Getting a PE License tests the engineer on key subject areas and skills.

There are many advantages of having a PE. There is a prestige that PE are treated in par with licensed professionals in other disciplines. Colleagues and peers also respect a person with a PE Exam. Engineers with a PE are viewed as being a member of an elite group of professionals.

License also shows that you are committed to the profession. And it also shows good leadership and management skills in the engineer. Companies and seniors will promote an engineer who has shown promise by getting a PE license.

Only licensed engineers have the authority to sign and seal engineering drawings. Licensure has also become very popular among government organizations and educational institutions. You can start your own business if you have a PE license. Or you can channelize and focus on a specific branch of engineering that you want to master. If the industry you are working in is cost cutting by reducing the number of staff then you will be saved because you hold a PE license. Engineers with a PE license earn more than their counterparts. They are also placed higher up in the organizational ladder.

As the Professional Engineer Exam is a very tough exam with lot of rules and regulations, those who pass the PE Exam are regarded with much respect. If the engineer is involved in building a structure for public use, then having a PE license is a legal requirement.

According to a 2010 survey by National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), those with a PE license earn an annual median salary of $99,000. Those without a license earn $94,000 a year. As per a 2012 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, those with a PE license earn a median salary of $100,000. Those without a PE license earn $95,500.

The path taken by an engineer with PE license is commendable and shows their commitment. First, they complete an engineering program for four years that is ABET accredited. After completing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which is an eight-hour exam that tests the engineer on engineering basics, the engineer is called Ëngineer-in-Training or Engineering intern. Some graduates take FE Exam while doing graduation, and others take it after finishing graduation. Some states allow the engineer to take the FE Exam during graduation and other allow only after graduation. An EIT has to work under a PE for four years to learn all the ropes of engineering.

Because of this rigorous training, education, and path which the engineer takes up, the engineer with a PE certification is highly valued. So, it is very important to get a PE license for career and professional success.