PE exam without the 4 years of experience

Hi there,

I am an internationally educated engineer (Civil) living in Alberta, Canada. Last year I passed the FE exam (on my first try!). Unfortunately, that didn't impress any employers so I am still working as a GIS tech. Nothing wrog with that except that we GIS techs are support people with zero decison power or responsability on anything (and the pay reflects that, by the way).

So, I thought, perhaps if I pass the structural PE exam I may get an oportunity with an engineering company. I asked the local enginner association (APEGA) and they told me that without the mandatory 4 years of experience I cannot take any PE exam. I wouldn't mind waiting the 4 years if I was working as an EIT doing actual engineer work, but since all my experience is on GIS... :shakehead:

I would like to confirm that rule with the forum because the person I asked didn't seem to familiar with the regulations (sorry if this is a silly question).

Thanks a lot!

Bristol

You may want to read this and ask any follow-up questions. NCEES covers it quite clearly:

http://ncees.org/audience-landing-pages/international/

You're not even going to be eligible to sit for the PE. You need 4 years of engineering design experience, a GIS tech job isn't going to cut it most likely.

It seems to me you are working in the wrong firm if they aren't even giving you qualifying work to progress to the PE

There are states that allow you to take the PE exam before you gain your experience, but you will not get your PE registration until all requirements are met. You can look over each state's requirements and pick one that may allow you to sit for the exam. This still will not make you a PE, but if you can demonstrate that you can take and pass the exam, it may make you desirable for a company looking for a new engineer. Best of luck!

California requires 6 years of experience, but you get 4 years of credit for an ABET degree.

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

snickerd3 said:

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

Click to expand...

good point. Some places require "4 years exp AND pass the PE test". Other place require "4 years exp THEN pass the PE test". It's a stupid technicality but could lock you out of some states.

These are sad news to me as I am in my early 40's so hardly I will be considered for junior, or just out of school, engineer positions ...

So, I guess it's time for plan "B": become a Registered Land Surveyor. I've heard there is good money in that :eyebrows:

Thank you for your answers!

Just find a designer job somewhere and get the experience needed.

State of Ohio used to require 4 years of experience working under a P.E. but I just looked it up and they must have changed that because you still need 4 years of engineering experience that must be verified by your supervisor. Doesn't specify that it has to be under a P.E. You do, however, need to provide 5 references and at least 3 of them have to be registered P.E.'s.

cupojoe PE PMP said:

snickerd3 said:

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

Click to expand...

good point. Some places require "4 years exp AND pass the PE test". Other place require "4 years exp THEN pass the PE test". It's a stupid technicality but could lock you out of some states.

Click to expand...

Like what states?!

glockjacket said:

cupojoe PE PMP said:

snickerd3 said:

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

Click to expand...

good point. Some places require "4 years exp AND pass the PE test". Other place require "4 years exp THEN pass the PE test". It's a stupid technicality but could lock you out of some states.

Click to expand...

Like what states?!

Click to expand...

When I was considering doing the test early in California, I was reading this article and a few others like it. I don't know of which states specifically. But the possibility of that being the case was enough to just wait and do it at 4 years.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/taking-pe-exam-early

Louisiana now allows EITs to sit for the PE with no experience. Mississippi requires the experience to sit, though Mississippi would still allow a PE by comity even if the exam was passed prior to experience gained.

This worries me .... PA requires you to have 4 years experience after the FE to sit for the PE, so I took it in MD because you can take with just 12 years experience. I was planning on applying for reciprocity when that 4 year gap is up. I'll have a total 22 years experience at that point. Seems like this is really mincing words, and not using common sense.

I still don't understand how you can have a nationally administered test with 50+ variations on how it is implemented. Rather annoying in my opinion.

cupojoe PE PMP said:

glockjacket said:

cupojoe PE PMP said:

snickerd3 said:

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

Click to expand...

good point. Some places require "4 years exp AND pass the PE test". Other place require "4 years exp THEN pass the PE test". It's a stupid technicality but could lock you out of some states.

Click to expand...

Like what states?!

Click to expand...

When I was considering doing the test early in California, I was reading this article and a few others like it. I don't know of which states specifically. But the possibility of that being the case was enough to just wait and do it at 4 years.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/taking-pe-exam-early

Click to expand...

Im not going to believe this until someone tells me what states and I can verify myself. This sounds unbelievable.

glockjacket said:

cupojoe PE PMP said:

glockjacket said:

cupojoe PE PMP said:

snickerd3 said:

just be careful with taking the test early. some states require the experience first so reciprocity might be an issue .

Click to expand...

good point. Some places require "4 years exp AND pass the PE test". Other place require "4 years exp THEN pass the PE test". It's a stupid technicality but could lock you out of some states.

Click to expand...

Like what states?!

Click to expand...

When I was considering doing the test early in California, I was reading this article and a few others like it. I don't know of which states specifically. But the possibility of that being the case was enough to just wait and do it at 4 years.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/taking-pe-exam-early

Click to expand...

Im not going to believe this until someone tells me what states and I can verify myself. This sounds unbelievable.

Click to expand...

That's fair, it might be an urban legend that just wont die. But honestly I don't care enough to research it more. It was a scary enough proposition, that I waited for my four years rather than taking early in California (CA of course requires six years but gives four years credit for an ABET degree). I didn't want to get some point in my career with a shiny new project in some random state and getting passed over because I wouldn't be able to get a license there. Good luck.

This 'kind-of' spells it out, but I guess you have to read it closely.

https://www.pcshq.com/?page=engineeringandrelatedfields,umassachusettspebycomityeligibilityrequi

EDIT: I swear I have seen in some sites where it talks about having met the requirements at the time of the exam, which goes back to my nationally administered test comments.

From Florida, this one might actually stick...

[SIZE=10pt](b) The applicant holds a valid license to practice engineering issued by another state or territory of the United States, provided that the criteria for issuing the license was substantially the same as the licensure criteria which existed in Florida at the time the license was issued.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Post 1500![/SIZE]

Ken 3.0 said:

From Florida, this one might actually stick...

[SIZE=10pt](b) The applicant holds a valid license to practice engineering issued by another state or territory of the United States, provided that the criteria for issuing the license was substantially the same as the licensure criteria which existed in Florida at the time the license was issued.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Post 1500![/SIZE]

Click to expand...

Florida is on the list of states I'd like to get so I guess I'll be calling or emailing then. I'll let ya know what they say.