Is it worth taking the SE in NY state

[BridgeE]

Hi,

Is it worth taking the SE in newyork state, not city , STATE !.

I know it's not necessary to do your job, but I mean would it help in getting more wins in proposals, and be more wanted in the market as an engineer ?

Thanks,

 

[Lomarandil]

Depends on what sort of work you do.

If you are the lead engineer for your company, and work on marquee projects where the owner wants to pay for prestige/experience, it may help your company's marketability.

If you work for a large or mega-consulting company, it will improve your personal marketability within (or outside) your company.

If you work for a small company or on relatively routine projects, it probably won't do much for you except credential value.

That said -- whether it is worth taking is a much more nuanced question. I just took the SE, despite moving to a role where I will have nearly zero use for the licensure (foreign country). In my case, it was worth trying once to see if I could.

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The name is a long story -- just call me Lo.

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

It's worth it as long as you take it and the PE. I took the SE in lieu of the PE and NJ wont license me without the PE exam. No worries there for me but since it's next-door to you that would matter.

There is definitely some prestige that comes with it so it's not worthless. I've talked to some engineers and contractors who do hold it in higher esteem but if you look at it as an investment (considering both the costs of the exam and the time involved) it's not likely going to even break even. Similar to Lomarandil I took it more as a personal challenge than anything. I'd still say get it, I'm proud to have passed it and studying for the exam taught me a lot.

Professional Engineer (ME, NH, MA) Structural Engineer (IL)
American Concrete Industries

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