PE references difficult to get

I am very eager, ready, and prepared to write the PE exams but I don't have any PE references (I need 4 btw). This is because all the ChemE's I know do not have PE, in fact I do not know anyone personally that has a PE. I am getting discouraged and my dream of becoming a PE is gradually fading right before me and it seems to be beyond my reach. Fellow ChemE's any suggestions? I have all the requirements down except this reference part.

Check with your former college faculty? Competitors? Join a group?

With the new PE exam in Computer Engineering, I foresee a lot of Computer Engineering people not having references.

do all 4 have to be PE? that seems odd, most states require a portion to be pe but the rest can be non pe

Illinois was good with just my 1, so I can't help you there

Thanks for your response guys. I called their office and the lady said it doesn't have to be all 4, I guess what's online is sometimes different from what actually happens. I am planning on joining AICHE local chapter for networking.

Check with your state board to see if your PE references have to be chemical? You might be able to use a mechanical or other discipline as a reference. The key, I think, is that the references are there to comment/praise your work ethic. That's how your state board helps to gauge if your skills and experiences are worthy of licensure.

Or if you know when your state board does their meetings you can attend (most are public I believe) and chat with them afterwards. Being proactive in this regard is a good thing!

I had the exact same problem! I'm a Controls Engineer with over 20 years exerience. Until 5 years ago, I never worked with any PE's. I even tried doing some part time consulting for a PE and the NJ State Board reject that reference as acceptable supervision.

In NJ you need 5 references, 3 of which must be a PE, and one must be your direct supervisor. You may be able to get a couple of references by networking or joining a professional group, but until you have direct supervision of your engineering work for 4 years from a licensed PE it is going to be difficult to get permission to sit for the test.

One avenue to reduce the time needed of PE supervision is to get your Masters degree or Doctorate degree. Typically you get one year of credit for a Masters degree and two years of credit for a Doctorate degree.

I understand why the State Board does it like this, after all, would you want to drive across a bridge or drive thru a tunnel designed by some guy who sat for one 8 hour exam and happened to be a lucky guesser?!?! But with that being said...getting a PE license is kinda like joining a Fraternity, where you can't get in unless you know someone from that Fraternity!

Hang in there! It took me 19 years! But life has a way of sorting itself out...