career focus 5

[macki]

I need some advice here, I have had about 2 years experience in a tank farm as a maintenance engineer(lots of pipelines, valves, tanks, ship and barge docks, vapor recovery units, vapor combustion units, pumps etc). I have a bachelors in mechanical engineering and also passed the FE exam last year, so I am an EIT. I wish to strategically plan and focus my career in one direction, lucrative and relevant. where is the money in engineering practice? for most of you experienced engineers out there, if you were starting out all over again, what certifications would you go for, API 510, 570, B31.3 , project management etc ? I would say, money is the number one driving force here ? what are the most sought after certifications? or maybe a masters degree in Engineering ?

 

[kylesito]

I do not work as a Mechanical but I worked in a firm that specialized in pipelines and fuel distribution systems. It seemed like for the mechanical guys they all pursued API 653 or API 570 certifications to do inspections (and it seemed like they could never find people who already had this certification so they often sent them to it through the company). In fact, I know that they are still looking for EIT's/PE's with these certifications now.

A master's isnt' a bad idea but if you want to stay in consulting work then my suggestion is to focus on getting the PE and adding these additional certifications as these will have a much stronger impact in your marketability and worth to a company.

PE, SE
Eastern United States

"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi

 

[TomDOT]

Depends on the industry, but around here - PE is the big one.

 

[macki]

thanks for your inputs, I think I can pass the API 653 and API 570 next year since I am getting a lot of relevant experience and I am very good at exam preps then work towards PE, hopefully by 2015 I will be a PE.

not sure about going back to school for a masters, too much money and time.

thanks

 

[rb1957]

if your focus is no maximising income ... leave engineering, possibly date an heiress (make sure she's (optional in today's world) rich before you get committed), become a lawyer or an accountant or worse a politician.

if you insist on staying with engineering, i think your best bet for making lots of money is inventing a time machine, possibly creating (and patenting) a new fusion power station.

 

[macki]

rb1957, you should always put everything in context, obviously you do not understand my posts, I am not looking to be the wealthiest man on te planet, I am not going to leave Engineering either, I am hoping to direct or focus my career towards the most lucrative speciaities WITHIN ENGINEERING.

 

[dicksewerrat]

Focus on the part that is most interesting to you. You can make tons of money working for an a_sh__le and be miserable or make somewhat less and be happy and content.

Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.

http://WWW.amlinereast.com

 

[lacajun]

From what I hear, you'll do well in any nasty, non-green, o&g, coal, dirty manufacturing because too few have entered it. Do what you enjoy doing and forget about chasing money. Money, while necessary, doesn't make one happy.

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC

 

[Twoballcane]

Believe it or not, it only takes $75K a year to be happy, any more and it doesn’t matter. And, people who experience life to the fullest are happier than people who have more materialistic stuff.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/07/27/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-2/

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
"People get promoted when they provide value and when they build great relationships"

 

[moltenmetal]

You're a smart kid- and you're asking a good question. I don't see you as greedy and materialistic- instead I see you asking good questions about how to apply yourself going forward to maximize the value of the skills you have to offer.

The key to making money is to find a way to take home the largest possible slice of the money you make or save for others. So you want that PE, and anything else that makes you useful to others as a consultant or contractor rather than as an employee. Better still, you want to sell something other than mere engineering man-hours, because as far as the marketplace is concerned, we're all worth exactly the same per hour of effort, aren't we? Working as an employee engineer is never going to make you rich, but is a necessary stepping stone to working on your own or with a small group of others in a situation where you get some ownership- a slice of the pie that goes beyond mere salary.