EIT v. Junior v. Intermediate v. Senior

[BeamMeUpStudent]

How many years of experience are you considered to be junior, intermediate and senior? Does having your designation make you an intermediate right away? Is junior engineer considered the same as EIT? Or do you become a junior engineer after getting your designation?

 

[rb1957]

EIT (in my jurisdiction) is not a job title, but a professional designation ... someone who has qualified but has served enough time (in the trenches).

So your initial position could be "junior", but some companies may use "EIT" as the entry level.

Companies tend to toss around titles, particularly when hiring, as a way to inflate your initial salary.

For me, an intermediate would be 5-10 years, and a senior 10-20. BUT, personality and ability (and how much and how quickly someone learns) play a part.; you can get 1 year's experience 10 times over.

 

[3DDave]

As far as I know, a person is an EIT after they have taken the EIT test. They are an EIT for about 4 years before being eligible for the PE test.

This mainly applies for structural or civil engineering. Working in most other areas do not require a PE license, though some companies find that PEs enhance their offerings; similar to having people with advanced degrees on their advertising.

All other job titles are made up by the company and there isn't a standardized means to verify the abilities of an engineer from one company to another based on job title.

 

[dfus]

An EI/EIT (engineering intern/engineer in training) is what you become in the state's eyes once you pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam after college. I have a certificate from the state board that says I am an Engineering Intern with a EI number and everything. That's the official designation for where I am. I usually see "junior engineer" used to mean the same thing but used more as a colloquial designation.

I'll caveat this next part by saying that I'm speaking as a structural guy and this may vary for other disciplines, but I'll stop being considered a "junior" engineer or EI once I get my PE license. After that point, calling someone an intermediate or senior engineer is just a "colloquial" indication of that person's experience. There's no rigid definition that I'm aware of.

 

[mfgenggear]

An EI/EIT (engineering intern/engineer in training) is what you become in the state's eyes once you pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam after college. I have a certificate from the state board that says I am an Engineering Intern with a EI number and everything. That's the official designation for where I am. I usually see "junior engineer" used to mean the same thing but used more as a colloquial designation.

I'll caveat this next part by saying that I'm speaking as a structural guy and this may vary for other disciplines, but I'll stop being considered a "junior" engineer or EI once I get my PE license. After that point, calling someone an intermediate or senior engineer is just a "colloquial" indication of that person's experience. There's no rigid definition that I'm aware of.

I am amazed

 

[dfus]

I am amazed

by what?

 

[GregLocock]

It varies a lot, but at least in automotive very roughly junior the first 2 years, engineer up until10-15, to senior (not everyone gets that) and then titles depend on your career track and the structure in the company on the company. But it does vary a lot, I've been progressively graduate engineer, engineer, senior engineer, engineer, senior engineer, engineer, senior engineer.

 

[Gr8blu]

In my experience, it is not time in service that equates to a specific title - with the exception of EIT (engineer in training). If applied for, an engineering student can become an EIT by first passing the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, then entering the workforce in an engineering capacity under the direct supervision of qualified engineers in their chosen field. Everyone else, from "engineer" to "junior/senior/principal/chief" receive their designations based on the level of responsibility within their organization. The unwritten caveat to that is that such titles are not necessarily transferrable between employers - because their requirements for responsibility may be different.

There is another exception that I have discovered recently: the designation is "regional engineer". The distinction here is that the engineer is not simply responsible for tasks at a single site but is expected to provide engineering expertise on a broad array of topics to multiple entities within a geographic region. The position generally entails a fair bit of travel (at least 50% of the time on the road). Most engineers who have "regional" responsibilities have reached the equivalent of at least senior if not principal engineer in their career paths.