Devrelle Dumas, EIT Corey A. Frazier, Ph.D., PE

NSBE Portland Metro Professionals General Body Meeting July 15, 2014

What is an EIT Certification?

E.I.T./E.I. = Engineer in Training or Engineer Intern

• • First step towards a P.E. license    Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam Designed for recent grads and students close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree  Eligibility – An individual must be at least in the last two semesters of an ABET-accredited engineering program Computer-based $225 Registration fee  Look into the possibility getting reimbursed for cost – demonstrate its value to career

What is a PE Certification?

• • The PE license tells the public that an engineer has mastered the critical elements of the profession.

Professional Engineers:

– – Demonstrate years of experience and expertise in their field Can stamp and seal engineering documents – Can bid for government contracts – Can offer their services to the public – Perform consulting services in accordance to state laws

PE Stats U.S. Engineers, Percentage with License or Certification

Total Engineers Computer software Computer hardware Industrial Electrical Mechanical Environmental Civil and architectural 0 10 20 30 PERCENT 40 50 60 70 Source: Abt Associates Inc., Engineers in the U.S.: An Overview of the Profession, 2004

Pre-EIT to PE Flow Pre-Engineer-In-Training

Engineering Student or Engineering Professional

• •

Job Responsibilities Studies engineering principles and practices.

Performs engineering analysis and tasks. Elevates those results to senior engineers for approval.

• •

Key Transition Points Pass FE exam Successfully petition to waive FE exam and receive EIT certification Engineer-In-Training

Engineering Professional

•

Job Responsibilities Performs engineering analysis and tasks. Elevates those results to senior engineers for approval.

• • • •

Key Transition Points Complete required years of experience Successfully apply for PE certification Pass PE exam Successfully petition to waive PE exam and receive certification Professional Engineer

Engineering Professional

•

Job Responsibilities Approves engineering documentation in accordance with state and local regulations. May perform engineering analysis and tasks. May elevate results to other senior engineers, senior management, or officials.

• •

Key Transition Points: Maintain certification and expertise Mentor other engineers

What Opportunities Are Available with a PE License?

• • •

Increase employment potential Entrepreneurship Industry



Academia

–

Allows engineers in academia to transfer innovation and theoretical principles to real world problem solving

Question

True or False:

As a PE you are only allowed to sign on for work you directly performed analysis on.

Answer

False

PEs certification extends to signature authority on documents, analysis, and designs under your supervision or ownership, but not necessarily performed by you. It may be your responsibility to approve or deny engineering work as part of a team engineering project.

PE Certification Benefits and Tradeoffs Pros & Perks

• • • • Stays with you "forever" Title/credibility Job opportunities Leadership opportunities: – Responsibility over other engineering activities requiring state/local approval – Input to senior management decisions and officials

Cons & Taxes

• • Major commitment – Requires re-licensure – Continuing Ed accountability Awareness/responsibility of team and designs (technical knowledge)

PE Application Process Experience PE References $$$ PE Application Components Paperwork

PE Application Process Experience PE References $$$

• •

Requirements (may vary by state)

– Degree-level dependent + years of experience • Example for Texas: accredited B.S. degree + 4 years

Begin building a record of your duties

– Include how you go/went about performing engineering tasks – Not just a resume regurgitation

Paperwork

PE Application Process Experience PE References $$$ Paperwork

• •

PE References:

– Licensed PEs who can verify your claims of engineering acumen – May or may not be familiar with your work or work with you – At least 3 will be needed to sign off on Supplementary Experience Record

Tips to gain PE References

– Network during “apprenticeship” to gain PEs who provide guidance and will sign off – Look up on state directory and write a polite letter

PE Application Process Experience PE References $$$

•

Fees

– $250 Application Fee – Investigate Company Sponsorship/Reimbursement

Paperwork

PE Application Process Experience PE References $$$ Paperwork

•

Notable Paperwork

– Ethics Exam: Online exam, submitted with PE application – Supplementary Experience Record (SER) Form : Detailed record of all engineering exp.

• • Anti-résumé: First person with complete sentences and active engineering type verbs SER Pitfalls – easy ways to mess up the PE application – Original SER provided to state board, copies go to PE references for verification – SERs must be provided with an envelope for your PE references to seal upon review or mail independently to board • Other documents include transcripts, criminal history, foreign degree verification

Exam Preparation Training/Prep (3+ month head start) Recommended Coursework

• •

FE PE

Free prep classes offered through schools or through private companies for a fee Refresher courses in 101-level subject areas (chemistry, physics, etc.) if you've been a practicing engineer for a while • • Practice exams – questions from past exams offered online.

• General knowledge review. PE Prep courses specific to field.

Sponsorship may be available through your company!

References Allowed in the Exam

FE Reference Handbook • • • • Textbooks Standards NCEES Workbook PE Reference book(s)

What to Expect on Exam Day

• • •

Registration Getting acclimated to the test environment Best Practices

– Get there EARLY – Do not leave for lunch – Bring snacks – Pace yourself • FE Exam: ~3 minutes per question • PE Exam: ~6 minutes per question

Exam Specifics FE PE Time Allotment

6 hour appointment time; actual test is 5 hours, 20 minutes long with 25 minute break 8 hours: morning (“Breadth”) and afternoon (“Depth”) sessions

# of Questions Disciplines Offered

110 Chemical Civil Electrical & Computer Environmental Industrial Mechanical Other Disciplines Multiple choice Example of FE Exam Specifications *PE Depth Session: a concentration is chosen 80 total, 40 per session Agricultural & Biological Architectural Chemical Civil * Control Systems Electrical & computer Environmental Fire Protection Industrial Mechanical * Metallurgical Mining & Mineral Processing Naval Architecture & Marine Nuclear Petroleum Software Structural

Post-FE Exam

•

FE Exam

– Expect results in 7 to 10 days • Pass/fail – NCEES does not report grades to test takers – I PASSED! Now what?

• Find P.E. mentors • Gain professional engineering experience – Re-take • Available year round, so test can be taken whenever you’re ready again • $225 registration fee required each time test is taken • Plan for success: Take note of difficult sections

Post-PE Exam: Passing

• •

Professional branding and title

– Use “PE” title (modern format) • “P.E.” also acceptable – Unacceptable

(*unless specified by your company/regulations)

• “P.Eng” and “Ing” (foreign designations) – Not needed

(*unless specified by your company/regulations)

• • License #, PE discipline  LinkedIn, CV, other databases General: No subordinate degree levels

Stamp vs Seal

– Mandatory to obtain one or the other

Post-PE Exam: Passing

• •

Continuing Education (measured in Professional Development Hours)

– Annual CE requirements vary by state • • High: Texas, North Carolina, and many others states (15 PDH + 1 ethics hr) Low: Florida & Virginia (8 PDHs), Vermont (10 PDHs) – Auditing • • Electronically verify (honor code style) upon yearly renewal Recommend Tracking/Log Sheet in case of audit – Not required in first year…BUT DO IT ANYWAY! •

State PE Board Newsletter

– Read for information on new standards and license revocations/suspensions

Professional Orgs

– National Society of Professional Engineers

Post-PE Exam: Re-take 4 Maximum attempts

$200+

Cost per test attempt Not the end of the world!

...but there’s still URGENCY

•

Post-Exam – Immediately note:

– Exam subject areas/question types you found difficult • NCEES will NOT tell you your score – Exam day challenges and obstacles •

Take time to relax and evaluate

– Exams are only administered in October and April

Am I banned if I fail 4 consecutive times?

NO. But…

• • •

Must go through the application process again Prohibited from applying for 1 year NCEES/State board will gladly take your money

Professional Certification Presentations on the Horizon

• • • • • • Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma certifications Project Management Professional (PMP) & Project Management-related certifications Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and Systems Engineering related certifications Business Process Management (BPM) certification Configuration Management certifications Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification

BACKUP

FE Exam Pass/Fail Rates

* First-time test takers, within 9 months of graduation reported only. http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/

PE Exam Pass / Fail rates (as of April 2014)

* http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/

Notable Links

• • • • • http://ppi2pass.com/faqs/what-happens-after-you-pass-the-pe-exam http://ppi2pass.com/faqs/TheRumorMill http://ncees.org/ http://www.nspe.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering