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CAPLS, you guys rock!

My girlfriend woke me up, showing me my name on the database Christmas morning :) Now I will never forget that I get my PE on Christmas day.

Took me two tries, but thankfully got the surveying done this October. Woohoo!

RCE#80071X

 
I can’t claim that I passed all three exams in one sitting…

But I can say I bought a house, moved, got pregnant, took care of a family member with cancer living in my home, studied while waiting at my relative’s doctors’ appointments and at hospital emergency rooms, had my baby, started work again, all while studying for these three exams. I was carrying my 11 month baby on Christmas Eve 2012 while opening up the last letter saying I’m officially a California Licensed Professional Engineer. Needless to say, I cried in front of the mailman and almost hugged him.

I know so many people go through TOUGH TIMES to finish up these exams. Taking care of families and homes while working and studying is no easy task. Congratulations to all those who had it tough =) Santa Clause did a good job this year!

 
I can’t claim that I passed all three exams in one sitting…

But I can say I bought a house, moved, got pregnant, took care of a family member with cancer living in my home, studied while waiting at my relative’s doctors’ appointments and at hospital emergency rooms, had my baby, started work again, all while studying for these three exams. I was carrying my 11 month baby on Christmas Eve 2012 while opening up the last letter saying I’m officially a California Licensed Professional Engineer. Needless to say, I cried in front of the mailman and almost hugged him.

I know so many people go through TOUGH TIMES to finish up these exams. Taking care of families and homes while working and studying is no easy task. Congratulations to all those who had it tough =) Santa Clause did a good job this year!
Wow, quite an achievement, congratulations.

 
I can’t claim that I passed all three exams in one sitting…

But I can say I bought a house, moved, got pregnant, took care of a family member with cancer living in my home, studied while waiting at my relative’s doctors’ appointments and at hospital emergency rooms, had my baby, started work again, all while studying for these three exams. I was carrying my 11 month baby on Christmas Eve 2012 while opening up the last letter saying I’m officially a California Licensed Professional Engineer. Needless to say, I cried in front of the mailman and almost hugged him.

I know so many people go through TOUGH TIMES to finish up these exams. Taking care of families and homes while working and studying is no easy task. Congratulations to all those who had it tough =) Santa Clause did a good job this year!
Congrats and what an amazing xmas present!

 
I can’t claim that I passed all three exams in one sitting…

But I can say I bought a house, moved, got pregnant, took care of a family member with cancer living in my home, studied while waiting at my relative’s doctors’ appointments and at hospital emergency rooms, had my baby, started work again, all while studying for these three exams. I was carrying my 11 month baby on Christmas Eve 2012 while opening up the last letter saying I’m officially a California Licensed Professional Engineer. Needless to say, I cried in front of the mailman and almost hugged him.

I know so many people go through TOUGH TIMES to finish up these exams. Taking care of families and homes while working and studying is no easy task. Congratulations to all those who had it tough =) Santa Clause did a good job this year!
A well deserved Congratulations to you! :appl:

 
PASSED!!!!!! OMG!!!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!! I have taken this test SO MANY TIMES...I was ready to give up a few times. Everybody who did not pass, don't give up. I believe this is time number 9 for me...I have lost count. The race is not given to the swift or the strong, but to those who endure to the end.

 
Passed, fire protection. Would somebody please ask me about my P.E.-ness?
I passed FPE also, how's it feel? Update your email signature line and letterhead yet?
It's a pretty awesome feeling. I know a lot of people that have taken the exam 5 or 6 times, so to pass on the first attempt is a bit of a relief.

I couldn't have updated my signatures faster, but since I work and live in NYC (and because it's also company policy), I have to put the "Registered in CA" disclaimer on everything, letting everyone know that my stamp is meaningless in the area until I gain reciprocity. For the moment, I get an extra $1,000 per annum figured into my paycheck, but I will have a discussion with my operations manager about being promoted in about 6 months.

I'm curious to know how your company is reacting to your passing grade (assuming that we don't work for the same company, that would be awkward after I asked about this).

 
PASSED!!!!!! OMG!!!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!! I have taken this test SO MANY TIMES...I was ready to give up a few times. Everybody who did not pass, don't give up. I believe this is time number 9 for me...I have lost count. The race is not given to the swift or the strong, but to those who endure to the end.
Wow, that is some dedication on your part, good for you. I am a little ambiguous over the fact that it took you 9 tries. What was it that made it so difficult? Congratulations on finally passing. Let's just hope it does not take you 9 tries to design a building :p

 
Well I'm not a structural engineer, so I don't design buildings and passing this test is not an indicator of how good of an engineer someone is.

I always had a problem with time, I can solve the problems, just not fast enough. I am a water resource engineer, however, water resources is such a broad subject, it was difficult to cover all the subjects; especially when envi was combined with water resources. I ended up passing in Geotech. Some tests I did great in the morning but bombed the afternoon, and some vice versa. Also I improved on my organizational skills.

Bottom line, STAY ENCOURAGED!!

 
Passed, fire protection. Would somebody please ask me about my P.E.-ness?
I passed FPE also, how's it feel? Update your email signature line and letterhead yet?
It's a pretty awesome feeling. I know a lot of people that have taken the exam 5 or 6 times, so to pass on the first attempt is a bit of a relief.

I couldn't have updated my signatures faster, but since I work and live in NYC (and because it's also company policy), I have to put the "Registered in CA" disclaimer on everything, letting everyone know that my stamp is meaningless in the area until I gain reciprocity. For the moment, I get an extra $1,000 per annum figured into my paycheck, but I will have a discussion with my operations manager about being promoted in about 6 months.

I'm curious to know how your company is reacting to your passing grade (assuming that we don't work for the same company, that would be awkward after I asked about this).
I'm in KC and according to our company procedures the PE is work a $4K salary increase per year. Since we work primarily in the Fed Gov't sector it doesn't make much difference which state you're registered is, as long as you're registered in at least one.

 
Passed, fire protection. Would somebody please ask me about my P.E.-ness?
I passed FPE also, how's it feel? Update your email signature line and letterhead yet?
It's a pretty awesome feeling. I know a lot of people that have taken the exam 5 or 6 times, so to pass on the first attempt is a bit of a relief.

I couldn't have updated my signatures faster, but since I work and live in NYC (and because it's also company policy), I have to put the "Registered in CA" disclaimer on everything, letting everyone know that my stamp is meaningless in the area until I gain reciprocity. For the moment, I get an extra $1,000 per annum figured into my paycheck, but I will have a discussion with my operations manager about being promoted in about 6 months.

I'm curious to know how your company is reacting to your passing grade (assuming that we don't work for the same company, that would be awkward after I asked about this).
I'm in KC and according to our company procedures the PE is work a $4K salary increase per year. Since we work primarily in the Fed Gov't sector it doesn't make much difference which state you're registered is, as long as you're registered in at least one.
Gotcha. The healthcare work I do that goes to the Joint Commission can utilize a license from anywhere because they review fire protection and life safety features under NFPA 101-00 and ignore the local AHJ requirements. However, most of what I do has to be approved by the NYC DOB and FDNY, so I pretty much have to get a NY PE to be of any use when it comes to sealing documents.

Wild guess, but if you're doing fire protection in KC (and assuming not for an MEP firm), I would think you work for Poole.

 
My boss just retired yesterday. It was well known around the office that he took the exam 10 times before he passed, and he was a very thorough, intelligent man who was one of the best engineers I've ever learned from. There is another girl in our office who passed on the first try and couldn't design her way out a paper bag. So even though I'm proud of myself and everybody else for passing, I've also seen firsthand how you shouldn't use the PE as a yardstick for how good an engineer one is :)

 
My boss just retired yesterday. It was well known around the office that he took the exam 10 times before he passed, and he was a very thorough, intelligent man who was one of the best engineers I've ever learned from. There is another girl in our office who passed on the first try and couldn't design her way out a paper bag. So even though I'm proud of myself and everybody else for passing, I've also seen firsthand how you shouldn't use the PE as a yardstick for how good an engineer one is :)
Agreed, I have met some PEs who have no idea what they are doing.

Degree of difficulty probably varies significantly by discipline. The electrical power exam was the easiest "final exam" I have ever taken in my life. Easier than any of my midterms in college. After 30 minutes in, I knew I passed it. Of course, this in no way validates me as an engineer :)

 
xinogage - I understand your point about people who take the test a LOT of times though... I work with another guy who has probably taken seismic 15 times. At what point do you (a) give up or (B) work on a Plan B for studying??

I'm in Pasadena also - maybe we work together? :wave2:

 
xinogage - I understand your point about people who take the test a LOT of times though... I work with another guy who has probably taken seismic 15 times. At what point do you (a) give up or ( B) work on a Plan B for studying??

I'm in Pasadena also - maybe we work together? :wave2:
It is unlikely, I have never dealt with any civils or mechanicals. We deal strictly with electrical power distribution, transmission and protection.

The hardest part for me was not the studying, it was getting references. The only time I got feedback from a PE, was when someone was complaining or asking for an explanation about something I did lol. Took me 6 years to get the 4 references.

Pasadena is a great town, when did you pass your PE?

 
It is unlikely, I have never dealt with any civils or mechanicals. We deal strictly with electrical power distribution, transmission and protection.

The hardest part for me was not the studying, it was getting references. The only time I got feedback from a PE, was when someone was complaining or asking for an explanation about something I did lol. Took me 6 years to get the 4 references.

Pasadena is a great town, when did you pass your PE?
I passed in 2008 - luckily I was surrounded by a lot of PEs willing to sign off on my application! Getting everybody to follow the directions for submitting the references to me was another story - for a bunch of engineers, the people surrounding me did not read directions very well and I had to ask half of them to resubmit for not signing the envelopes or whatever nonsense is required.

I feel so bad for those who are still taking the test, that's why I always check in around results time. Seismic took me to my third try, and trucking out to Pomona to take a test you've already failed is no fun.

 
When I passed in April 2011, the passing notices were mailed June 10th (Friday), I found my name on database June 11th, I received my passing notice on the 14th and a week later I received my Certificate. My certificate is dated the 10th. The envelope (i still have it) is stamped dated June 15, 2011. So I am surprised you haven't received your certificate. It will come maybe the holidays slowed things down.

 
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