How long did it take to obtain PE license? (Civil/Structural)

[davab]

Hello everyone,

I want to get some perspective in when (around what age?) and how long it took for you to get your PE license. Is it always good to get PE license as quickly as possible? Do you need some balance between a work experience and PE license? Obviously, with 6 year requirement to be qualified as PE in California, one would expect to have at least 2 years of engineering experience. However, there seem to be people with Bachelor and Masters degree in civil/structural engineering who can replace up to 5 years out of 6 required years with just school alone. That would leave them with one more year of work experience in engineering firm and they should be qualified to be PE.

To me, getting PE as quickly as possible seems like a good thing. What do you guys think?
Someone like I described above should have his/her PE license around age of 25-27. Too early?

 

[msquared48]

I was delayed four years with military service. I got my PE at age 30.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

http://mmcengineering.tripod.com

 

[Ron]

davab...in general, you have to meet the statutory requirements of each state in which you want to be licensed. For a PE license in most states, you will need to have at least a 4-year accredited engineering degree. Accredited means that the college from which you graduate must be ABET accredited for your program of study. Generally, in your senior year of the 4-year degree program, you will be allowed to take the "Fundamentals of Engineering" examination. This is also known as the Engineering Intern (EI) or Engineer In Training (EIT) exam. Upon successful completion of the FE exam and an internship period of 4 years of work experience (a Master's degree may usually be substituted for one of those four years), and if you meet the requirements prescribed by your state, you may then take the Principles and Practices Exam (PE).

There are exceptions to this in some states, but in general if you want "portability" and recognition of your license by most other states, this is the process.

My experience is similar to Mike's....I was 29 when I got my license.

 

[kylesito]

I was 28 when I got mine but my excuse wasn't nearly as valid as Mike and Ron's. I just couldn't pass that darn SE 1 exam and had too much pride to take the Civil-Structural until they got rid of the SE 1!

I think it's good to get it as soon as you can. Obviously, there are requirements for each state as to the number of year's of experience you need to apply and those are well grounded as you shouldn't get your diploma and immediately begin signing off on designs. But in general, yes, it's a better idea to get it as soon as you can. From the company's perspective, you are much more valuable as a PE...from a selfish perspective, you are much more respected and usually (not lately maybe) better paid as a PE than an EIT.


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

 

[SLTA]

I took the test as soon as I was eligible, around age 28. I had gotten a master's in the meantime which gave me practical balance to my more theoretical undergrad. My 2-yr masters program counted only as 1 year experience, which I think is the NCEES guide. First time I took the test, I was 8.5 months pregnant (no really, kid born 2 weeks later) so that's my excuse for not passing. I just didn't have the experience or time to study until I was about 34, when my kids didn't need me constantly. It is way easier to study when you don't have rugrats needing your attention, so if you have a choice, get it done before family comes.

In the long run, do a couple more years of PE status really matter all that much? 10, yes maybe, but 3 or 4, not really.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Most states are a 4 year ABET accredited degree and 4 years "apprenticeship" under PE's. You usually need 4 PE's to attest to that. I guess I was 27. Check with your board!!

 

[JedClampett]

There's a lot of states that now let you take the PE right out of school, but if you've passed, you have to wait the 4 years to get your license. I'm pretty sure Wisconsin's been that way for a while and other states are moving toward that direction.

 

[cvg]

minimum requirements to "apply" to take the exam are listed below for California and are similar in other states.

4 years for degree
take and pass the EIT
2 more years working experience
submit application for PE exam
application reviewed and approved by state
wait for up to 6 months and then take the test
wait for about 3 more months to receive results

total 7 years minimum

http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf

 

[fel3]

In California in the early 1980's, one could sit for the PE exam with a 4-year degree from an ABET-accredited university PLUS an EIT (which I passed in college) PLUS 2 years of post-graduation experience under one or more PEs. I took and passed the PE exam for civil at the tender age of 24. Even so, I was nowhere near ready for independence as an engineer. A 24-year-old simply does not have enough life experience or engineering experience. Fortunately, the company I was with understood this. They were pretty deliberate with how they developed their young professionals and I think they built a good foundation for me. I didn't start to feel comfortable with independent judgment until about the age of 29 or 30, and even then all the big decisions still had to go through QA/QC review.

A co-worker two years older than me also passed the PE when he was 24. Unfortunately, he thought that meant he was ready for full independence as an engineer. (He was very smart, but not very wise.) He quit within a month of getting his PE to open his own firm. It took him a while to figure out why municipal clients weren't willing to entrust projects to a greenhorn. He folded in less than a year.

I have a friend who is an electrical engineer with about 30 years of experience. We worked at the same company for more than ten years and he handled the electrical on most of my projects that required it. He is really good, but he refuses to take the PE. The reason? He would be required to manage projects and he doesn't want to do it. He is willing to work for a lower salary just to avoid project management. Sometimes I envy his decision.

==========
"Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unteachable?"
--Winston S. Churchill

 

[davab]

Thanks for comments everyone. Just wanted to get some idea on PE license so that I wouldn't be so behind in my plan for future.

 

[SteelPE]

During college my main focus was on Environmental Engineering. When I graduated I ended up working for a steel fabricator who did a ton of D/B work. Knowing I needed more educational experience I enrolled in a Masters program focusing on Structural Engineering. Around the time I was suppose to finish the program I was eligible to take the PE exam. I put the test on hold and finished the program. I took the exam about 1 year after I finished and passed. I guess that would have made me 27 when I took the test and passed. I would have had a little over 5 years of work experience when I took the test.

 

[abusementpark]

I was 26 when I got my PE. I took the test as soon as possible.

 

[KM]

FWIW, I got my license 9 years out of school. I deliberately waited because I did not feel I had the right experience until then. I figured if I was holding myself out as a fully-qualified professional I wanted to make sure that I really WAS one.

 

[jkauwale]

After I graduated college, I worked for a firm for two years and got the necessary experience to apply for the PE in California. I believe California is the only State that requires two years of experience with a 4 year ABET Accredited Engineering BS Degree. I took the test in October and found that I passed around January-February. I was 24 when I got my PE, but basically it was just a piece of paper at that point, because I didn't have the necessary experience to practice engineering on my own. But to answer your question, it took roughly 2-1/2 years.
I would suggest that you get your license as soon as possible. From my perspective it shows that you are motivated to advance in your career. It also shows that you are willing to help your company.
Just remember that it doesn't mean you are ready to practice engineering on your own. I believe that it takes much more than 2 years to become a fully qualified professional engineer.

Justin K, P.E.

http://www.engproguides.com

 

[jpankask]

I took the exam as soon as I could, which was after 4 years' work experience. I was 27, I think. One caution, though. Most states still require a 4-year ABET accredited degree AND 4 years experience. If you take the exam in a state that requires LESS than 4 years and get your license, then want to get licensed in a state that requires minimum 4 years, you may have to take the exam again to get licensed in those other states.

 

[jkauwale]

I took the Mechanical PE Exam in California, which only required 2 years of experience. Once I had 4 years of experience, I was able to transfer my license to Hawaii. I did not have to take the exam again, maybe it is just Hawaii. But I believe NCEES provides and administers the test in most, if not all States. So I don't know why you would need to take the exam again, if you wanted to transfer your license.

Justin K, P.E.

http://www.engproguides.com

 

[DHambley]

I took my PE exam at age 35, 12 yrs after college. I found the math pretty easy because my job as a designer for 12 years kept my math skills high.

 

[bridgebuster]

I was 26