Do you have to practice as a designer or work for a design firm if you get your PE License?

In a lot of ways, majoring in structural engineering and pursuing your P.E. License pigeon-hole you into a specific career path. When I was in school studying structural engineering, I thought I had a few options: work for a design firm crunching numbers and buried in code books all day or continue my education and go into the academic or research field. The truth is, there are quite a few other industries that you can get into. Whether or not you ever P.E. stamp a set of drawings or intend to, should not deter you from pursuing a professional license.

I personally have worked for a design firm. I did a lot of work designing power substations for a local utility company, schools, office buildings, and a lot of seismic analysis and retrofit design of existing buildings. I was very much doing the type of work that I studied in school. I later found myself working for a steel fabrication company managing complex fabrication for the transportation, hydro and nuclear industries. I worked to design manufacturing plans and procedures for building things efficiently within budget. I was now seeing things built and it was exciting and fulfilling. I got the job because of my technical background and the fact that I had never actually built anything, or worked in any sort of trade, was not an issue. There were really two basic groups of people I worked with: engineers with degrees (some of them licensed), or former welders, machinists or inspectors that had left the fabrication floor for the office. 

I still work in the steel fabrication industry to this day. I eventually moved up into a project management role where I ensure that product is fabricated in accordance with contractual specifications, on budget and on schedule. I got my PE license while working in this role and it was very much supported by my company. Since getting my license, I have only once stamped a set of drawings for a small project that had design responsibility. However, the power of a professional license goes beyond just working for a designer and stamping final designs. In the fabrication industry, as well as general contracting, construction, or other specialty trades, you are the one taking a design from an engineer and physically making it a reality. The technical understanding of load paths and strengths of material are still used, but the means and methods for manufacturing are then added to that creating a whole different set of skills. Being able to have conversations with engineers when changes need to be made is much easier with a technical background and better received when you are licensed. My professional resume is often used when my company bids on work to prove that we have capable and licensed professionals that can execute projects.

Engineering is such a broad discipline. Even narrowing it to structural engineering is broad. The set of skills you obtain and the way engineers generally are able to solve problems is incredibly valuable in a number of industries. Not everyone who majors in engineering is meant to be at a desk all day working as a designer. A large majority of the people I work with are engineers who no longer work for a designer, or never have. Adding a P.E. License to your resume makes you that much more valuable to any company. It increases your potential to earn a higher salary and it increases your ability to pivot career paths if you need or want to. You can work for a designer if that is what your purpose is. But if it's not, there's a big world out there and a ton of opportunities for someone with an engineering major and P.E. License.

About the Author: Alex Berlin

Mr. Berlin has worked in both the design and fabrication industries for 10 years. He has worked at Vigor (previously OIW) for 9 years. Previous experience includes work in commercial fabrication for the solar renewable energy sector, structural design for the commercial and power sectors and seismic analysis and rehabilitation. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Structural Engineering from The University of California, San Diego. He holds a PE License in the State of Oregon.

How to Become a Structural Engineer?

The work of a structural engineer can pose a major public safety hazard if completed by an engineer without the proper technical understanding. As a result, structural engineering is highly regulated industry through certification. With the proper preparation and experience, the process is very attainable, but be warned: it takes time and effort to complete.

Disclaimer: the process below is only one way to become a licensed structural engineer - there are definitely others. This is, in my opinion, the most streamlined way to become a structural engineer.

Table of Contents

1. Attend a university with an ABET accredited civil or structural engineering program

2. Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

3. Get a Master's degree

4. Get Engineering Experience

5. Pass the P.E. Exam

6. Pass the S.E

Step 1: Attend a university with an ABET accredited civil or structural engineering program.

NCEES will only approve an ABET accredited degree if you want to proceed with the licensing exams on the quickest timeline. If you go to a school that was not ABET accredited, you can still become a structural engineer, but you may need to wait longer and have more engineering experience before you can take the P.E. or the S.E. I know many engineers who completed their studies abroad or studied (non-engineering) physics as an undergrad - they are successful professional engineers, but their path to the becoming a structural engineer took a little more time and effort!

Step 2: Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (F.E.) is a six-hour exam that you are eligible to take in the final semester of your (ABET accredited) undergraduate degree. If you are eligible and able, take it at this stage! It covers a lot of information from courses you took in undergrad, that you, frankly, won't use much of once you graduate and start working. I recommend getting this one out of the way ASAP.

Step 3: Get a Master's degree.

This is becoming less or a requirement for many firms, but when I graduated from undergrad, most firms were only hiring students with a master's degree. My advice is to only get a masters right away if you are sure you want to pursue structural engineering. These degrees are not cheap! But if you do want to be a structural engineer, I highly recommend it. I learned so much in my master's program that prepared me for my career. As a bonus, your civil/structural engineering master's degree can be counted towards your "engineering experience" for the P.E. and S.E. applications. (More on that shortly)

Step 4: Get Engineering Experience

When you apply to take the P.E., you will need to prove that you have been actively working on engineering work under the responsible charge of a licensed P.E. The length of time required before the P.E. application will vary in each state. When I took the exam in New York State, the requirement was 4 years of experience, but one year could be a master's degree.

Step 5: Pass the P.E. Exam

The national eight-hour exam that is given twice a year, typically in April and October, that constitutes the "P.E." in most states. In those states, if you pass the exam, you are officially considered a professional engineer. (Hooray!) In California, there are two additional state specific exams which require an additional application (and, of course, fees). These are the seismic and surveying exams. Each are 2.5 hours long and are offered on a rolling basis. You cannot be considered a professional engineer in California unless you have taken these exams.

Step 6: Pass the S.E.

To be a fully licensed Structural Engineer, you must pass the exam called the S.E. The timing for this exam will also vary from state to state, so be sure to check in the state in which you are looking to apply. This exam is sixteen hours long, given over the course of two days. Similarly, to the P.E., it is offered twice annually, in April and October. The test is split in to two sections: vertical and lateral. Each section can be passed independently, meaning that if you pass gravity but not lateral, you don't have to take gravity again.

Hopefully that gives you some insight in to how to become a structural engineer. It is certainly a lengthy and challenging process, but you only need to focus on one step at a time, and as I mentioned, with experience and preparation, I'm sure you'll find each step attainable. Best of luck!

What Is the Role of a Structural Engineer?

"I'm a Structural Engineer and I make sure buildings don't fall down". This is what I said at my daughters preschool on bring your parent to work day. In a nutshell, it's what structural engineers do. But in practice, the execution of that is quite a bit more involved.

Structural Engineers typically work in close coordination with owners, architects, other engineering disciplined professionals (civil/geotechnical), and specialized tradespeople. The owner is the one with the idea and desire to fund a construction venture and get something built. This can be a local utility company looking to build a new office building, an investment firm looking to build a new housing development, or an NFL owner looking to build a new football stadium. The owner will work with an architect to create a rendering or detailed set of drawings of the building and its features. The structural engineer and the architect work closely to take the building that has been drawn and analyze the forces that will act on in and design every element of the building.

Using the governing jurisdictional design codes, a structural engineer will calculate and assume all of the expected forces that could possibly act on the structure. This includes: gravity loads, weight of the structure itself, live loads from occupancy, snow loads, lateral wind and seismic loads and any other potential load. These are combined into different loading scenarios and applied to the theoretical structure. Using tributary area methods and structural analysis, the distribution of forces is calculated for every element of the building. The load path is followed from the roof and exterior walls, to the floors of each level, to the connections to columns all the way down to the foundation, and into the ground. This is done either by hand or using computer models, depending on the complexity of the structure and loading. Once each member has a demand load both from the vertical and lateral loads applied, each member can be selected or designed based on the desired size and material specified by the owner and architect. Capacities for different common material types and shapes can be found in the respective code books. Every beam, column, bolt, weld, nail, concrete slab and piece of rebar are checked for sufficient capacity. For example, a residential wood framed, two-story building may have an open concept lower level. There are no columns or room dividing walls that can take the load of the second story. Large and deep timber beams may work to carry these loads, however, they will not fit within the thickness of the second floor so a more economical steel beam can be selected. Another example is the recently constructed Los Angeles football stadium was designed with a solid roof structure that could let natural light in. Specialized glass and a complex high tension cable system were used to create a safe roofing system that met the owner and architects vision.

On a design and construction project, the Structural Engineer can either be the prime consultant, who works directly with the owner, or the secondary consultant, who works for an architect that works directly for the owner. The responsibility and the function of the Structural Engineer is the same regardless of the contractual role and profit margin. Problems can by typical and easily solved or are extremely complex and require revolutionary building techniques with exotic material. The Structural Engineer at the end of the design phase is ethically responsible for ensuring that the anticipated loads have all been applied to the building and that each member is sufficiently designed so its capacity is larger than its demand. This ethical responsibility, coupled with the contractual obligation to make the vision of the architect and owner a reality are the main functions of a Structural Engineer.

About the Author: Alex Berlin

Mr. Berlin has worked in both the design and fabrication industries for 10 years. He has worked at Vigor (previously OIW) for 9 years. Previous experience includes work in commercial fabrication for the solar renewable energy sector, structural design for the commercial and power sectors and seismic analysis and rehabilitation. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Structural Engineering from The University of California, San Diego. He holds a PE License in the State of Oregon.

Experience Taking the PE Civil Exam

My Civil Engineering PE exam experience began almost a full year before I took the test. Exam applications were due to the state board several months prior to the test and required a full engineering work history. Past and current supervising professional engineers needed to complete and submit recommendation forms. Once I was able to submit the application, it went through a review process with the state board.

After approval by the state board and registration through NCEES, I researched review courses. Many options were available including both in-person, Live Online, and Ondemand courses. I chose School of PE's Ondemand course with a transportation depth. I also began making a list of reference material I would need for studying and during the test, then began purchasing the material.

Studying started several months before the exam date. It took place before work for at least an hour almost every weekday, and many nights before bed. Once I completed the online prep course, I took practice tests for 3-4 weekends prior to the exam.

Several days before the exam I made sure all the reference material was ready to take into the exam, and that I had a means to transport over a dozen books and binders into the test room (my solution was milk crates used as bookshelves strapped to a hand cart). I made sure I had two approved calculators and a standard digital watch. I also took a water bottle and ear plugs.

The night before the exam I stayed in a hotel near the exam site. A good night's sleep didn't happen. After a couple cups of coffee, I arrived at the test site about two hours before the exam began. After check-in, we were seated in a very large room with two people at each table. I had enough room on the table for one open book, my calculator and pencil, and the exam booklet.

The test began promptly at 8 AM, and for four hours I worked silently through the Civil breadth questions. I first went quickly through all the questions, ranking them from quickest to longest. I went back and completed the questions starting with the quickest to solve. The breadth questions required me to use most of the reference books that I had brought. Time management was especially important when selecting which book to use. The questions were general in nature and were often solved quickly once I found the topic in the reference book.

Once the breadth section was complete, we had an hour for lunch. The depth section began promptly at 1pm. Although the same format as the breadth section, the afternoon questions could be solved using only two or three reference books. I used the same strategy of ranking questions by time required, solving the quickest questions first. The depth questions required much more calculation and were more nuanced than the breadth questions. As time was getting shorter, I found myself needing to take educated guesses on the last handful of questions.

After the exam I felt mentally and physically drained, but relieved that it was over. I knew test results wouldn't be posted for several weeks, but that didn't stop me from checking frequently. The preparation paid off, and a few days before Christmas I found out I passed. By starting early, finding a good prep course, and investing the time required you can confidently take the PE exam and pass.

My employer, like many, reimbursed my costs associated with the exam including application, prep course, and reference books contingent on me passing the exam. Be sure to talk to your employer about financial assistance for the PE exam.

Why Do I Need a PE License?

It is true that a primary role of a Professional Civil Engineer is to sign and seal construction documents. It is also true that many Civil Engineering jobs may never require you to stamp plans. If you are not going to be required to stamp documents, do not let that stop you from getting your PE license!

There is much more to a PE license than using your stamp. Many engineers in the public sector (working for cities, counties, states, or the federal government) will likely never be required to use their stamp. However, many of the engineering positions in these organizations require or highly encourage a PE license. If you are a project manager and work on projects with state or federal oversight, those organizations may require a project manager with a PE license to have direct charge over projects.

A PE license also gives you a certain amount of authority when discussing your profession and civil engineering topics. It is an indicator that you know your profession and can speak intelligently about civil engineering. It is also an indicator that you are held to high standards with regard to ethical conduct and keeping public safety as a fundamental priority. When speaking with members of the public, a PE license says quite a bit about your knowledge and qualifications.

Earning a Professional Engineer license will also open opportunities for you during your career. In many instances, it is expected that a civil engineer earns their PE license early in their career. If this does not happen, it may raise questions about why the engineer has not earned their license. Remember that it is never too late to earn your license. You may have been out of school for several years and are thinking that you have forgotten so much of the information necessary for the PE exam. Don't skip such an important career milestone if you have been out of school for a long time. There are many effective review courses you can take. With intentional preparation and planning ahead, you can confidently take the P.E. exam no matter what stage of your career you are in.

Taking the Professional Engineer exam can be expensive. Reach out to your employer and see if they can pay for all or part of the costs associated with taking the exam. Many employers will pay for or reimburse associated costs such as review courses, reference material (if your office does not already have current editions), application fees, and registration fees. Remember, your employer probably wants you to take this step in your career as much or more than you do. It speaks very highly of organizations when their engineers have professional licenses.

There are many reasons to get a PE license. Being able to stamp documents is definitely an important one, but there are a lot of reasons to be licensed besides getting a stamp. Don't let the fact that you currently won't use a stamp stop you from getting your PE license!

How to become a Petroleum Engineer?

One might look at this question and assume the answer is obvious. Surely the way to become a petroleum engineer is by earning a petroleum engineering degree, right? That is one path to becoming a petroleum engineer, but it certainly isn't the only path.

I'll start by explaining that some people have become a petroleum engineer without actually earning an engineering degree. The petroleum field is extremely broad and people with a variety of educational backgrounds and experiences can achieve success in the industry. Geology is a core science to the petroleum field, so people with a geology degree can become a petroleum engineer if their education is paired with the right industry experience. That being said, lacking an engineering degree can become a hurdle for career development depending on career objectives. In particular, it can be a hurdle for those seeking licensure as a professional engineer. If licensure is a goal, earning an ABET-accredited engineering degree is the best option. I'll briefly describe the three most common educational backgrounds that lead to a career in petroleum engineering.

Table of Contents

1. Petroleum Engineering Undergraduate Degree

2. Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Degree

3. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Degree

1. Petroleum Engineering Undergraduate Degree

We'll start with the most obvious path. A degree in petroleum engineering is excellent preparation for an individual looking to have a career as a petroleum engineer. A typical curriculum will include coursework in geology, reservoir engineering, drilling engineering, and production engineering. Many programs include additional courses that are very beneficial to the modern petroleum engineer. These additional courses cover subjects such as finance, economics, and chemistry. In recent years, data analysis has become an essential skill for most petroleum engineers and, therefore, some curricula are beginning to include related courses either as required or as an elective. The typical curriculum is tailored specifically to a career in the petroleum field and offers aspiring petroleum engineers an excellent opportunity to develop relevant and valuable skills.

2. Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Degree

The petroleum industry is filled with engineers who hold a degree in mechanical engineering. It is often regarded as the broadest of all engineering disciplines. Students enrolled in mechanical engineering programs typically develop a deep understanding of fundamental engineering principles. It is this thorough understanding of engineering fundamentals that gives them great potential as a petroleum engineer. Although a mechanical engineering program does not typically cover petroleum-specific concepts, it provides a strong foundation upon which an individual can learn the relevant concepts through on the job training or additional education. It just so happens that the oilfield is full of machines such as pumps, compressors, generators, and engines. Naturally, mechanical engineers are well suited to design and repair these machines. It is because of this that you often find mechanical engineers working in the petroleum industry for service companies. The experience gained with these service companies and suppliers is just the type of experience that can help a mechanical engineer become a great petroleum engineer.

3. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Degree

Chemical engineers find their way into all aspects of the petroleum industry, and for good reason. They go through a rigorous set of courses while in school and develop many skills directly related to the industry. For starters, much of a chemical engineer's education focuses on the downstream refinement of crude oil. The economic extraction of crude oil from the earth is the most fundamental objective of petroleum engineers. Thermodynamics and fluid mechanics are two subjects central to the petroleum engineering discipline. Chemical engineers happen to spend a great deal of their schooling focused on an in-depth understanding of these same subjects. Considering how much overlap there is, both in education and application, it only makes sense that some chemical engineers would retool themselves as petroleum engineers.

For anyone interested in becoming a petroleum engineer, these three degrees offer excellent preparation for a long and prosperous career. Which of the three is right for any one person will depend on a number of variables such as personal interest and level of career path certainty. While a petroleum engineering degree offers a most direct route to becoming a petroleum engineer, it is a niche degree. For an aspiring engineer not yet sure which discipline they want to focus their career on, both mechanical and chemical engineering offer the opportunity to work in the petroleum industry as well as many other industries.

Are you ready to pass the Electrical PE exam? Here is what it takes

Work until You no longer have to introduce yourself. - Harvey Spector

The key element in building a successful career path is a continuous thirst for knowledge.

Your investment in time and resources for continuous education, certification, and license programs can lead to provide recognition to your specialized knowledge or skill set.

Let's talk about PE exams in detail. The majority of the engineers who take the PE exams are working a full-time job and wish to expand their career prospects by getting licensed. It takes a lot of effort to get licensed as a Professional Engineer and the outcome is always fruitful. Passing their PE exam is the first step to be able to get licensed. One needs to have an ABET-accredited 4-year degree, pass the FE, PE exams, and satisfy the minimum experience requirement set by the particular state.

Sounds like a long journey? Believe me, it gets better with each step towards the goal.

The Obstacles and their Solutions

The moment one decides to take the PE exam, they have to sacrifice something to achieve this feat. The majority of the Engineers take their FE exam right after graduation to redeem the knowledge and skills they have recently learned.

A longer period away from school or continuous learning can lead to fading knowledge.

One of the biggest hurdles while preparing for the PE exam is the fact that one has to work their 8-hour day shift and return home to engage the mind for a few hours again. I had my share of mental exhaustion, regardless, I realized sooner that the key to passing the PE Electrical exam, no matter which discipline you take is sticking to a schedule and building the knowledge for a couple of months before taking the exam.

A couple of months of sacrificing those weekend getaways, Friday night hangouts, and daily Netflix after dinner. Does that sound a lot? I have done it all. Stay assured, it will be worth it.

Key Points to Remember

PE Electrical exam is an 8-hour long exam that tests your knowledge on a variety of topics in depth. Hence, it's not a sprint but a marathon. It's very difficult to clear such an exam by cramming for a few days and requires dedicated effort every day until the day of the exam.

Depending on the discipline that one decides to take the PE electrical exam, the preparation can vary. NCEES offers the PE Electrical exam in Computer Engineering and Power. The majority of the test takes are in the Power industry as the PE license is highly valued and Engineering projects are often signed by a licensed PE.

The best way to start preparing for either of the PE Electrical exams is to be adamant about your vision and invest time regardless. Don't forget to give yourself a day off every now & then so as not to burn out. Remember, it's a marathon!

It's easy to get off-track but one must try to cover up when that happens. It is also a good idea to take a refresher course too. The majority of the companies intend to invest in their employees and are willing to pay for the refresher courses and the exam fees. Take advantage of that if your employer is offering this. The major advantage of the course is that it will keep you on track with your preparation. School of PE offers these refresher courses that have helped hundreds of Engineers pass the exam on their first attempt.

The last vital preparation tip is to take timed mock tests in an environment that would be similar to the test. This exposes your weaknesses and helps you work on them. There is no room for escape and denials. I remember practicing with one eye on the clock to track my pace. I must confess, I had my share of escapes and frustration. It didn't disappoint me though. It made me better in every next attempt.

Lastly, don't go for the exam with the attitude of "Giving it a shot". There is no harm in over-preparing but a lot to lose in under preparing. Repeating the entire journey is difficult when you choose to take shortcuts to reach the goal. Take your time at each stop to research, prepare, learn, and proceed. The light at the end of that tunnel is constant, you just have to choose the right path and keep moving forward.

Why Should A Petroleum Engineer Become A Licensed Professional Engineer?

Licensed professional engineers can be found in all engineering disciplines. However, it is far more common in some disciplines than in others. Civil engineers, for example, routinely pursue a P.E. license. Aside from prestige and increased credibility, civil engineers often pursue licensure because failing to do so can be very limiting to their career development. At its core, a professional engineering license is a mechanism to protect the public by ensuring that licensed engineers have a minimum standard of experience, education, and competency. Compared to other engineering disciplines, civil engineering projects more often involve projects that directly impact the health and safety of people. It is because of this that civil engineers so often pursue licensure.

Petroleum engineers, on the other hand, have historically worked on projects that do not directly impact public health and safety. Therefore, it is not all that common for petroleum engineers to pursue licensure. One may ask, why should a petroleum engineer become a licensed P.E.? There are several reasons, a few of which are described below.

Table of Contents

1. Standing out amongst the crowd

2. Unique opportunities

3. Rapidly changing standards for environmental and social responsibility

1. Standing out amongst the crowd

The very fact that most petroleum engineers do not pursue licensure makes for a unique opportunity. In a field that is often saturated with experienced engineers, it can be difficult to differentiate yourself from the crowd. By becoming a licensed professional engineer, you can quickly demonstrate your value. The professional engineering license provides a level of instant credibility that sets you apart from unlicensed petroleum engineers who have comparable education and experience. In a tight job market, it can be the difference between a job offer and failing to even get an interview. For those already employed, it can lead to accelerated career progression.

2. Unique opportunities

A career in petroleum engineering can be very dynamic and offer opportunities to perform a variety of tasks and job functions. For those interested in offering engineering services as a consultant or planning to consult as an expert-witness, gaining professional engineering licensure should be a top priority.

3. Rapidly changing standards for environmental and social responsibility

It was previously mentioned that petroleum engineers historically do not work on projects that directly impact public health and safety. While the scope of petroleum projects hasn't changed much, the perception of the petroleum industry has changed drastically in the past decade. With growing concern for topics such as global warming, there is an increasing movement towards reducing/eliminating emissions from oil wells and oil storage facilities. Controlling emissions is a complicated task that requires a great deal of engineering and operational expertise. In addition to emissions, the protection of groundwater aquifers is another top priority. Whether justified or not, the public perception that hydraulic fracturing contaminates groundwater is a very real concern that the petroleum industry must address. Both controlling emissions and protecting groundwater are rapidly becoming issues that most believe impact public health and safety. Although not yet required, increased scrutiny of the petroleum industry may one day make a professional engineering license every bit as valuable for a petroleum engineer as it already is for a civil engineer. The petroleum engineers who proactively seek licensure will not only raise the standard of quality for their non-licensed colleagues but will also position themselves for career advancement opportunities as scrutiny of the petroleum industry continues to gain momentum.