CA CIVIL PE Application & Engagement (unsuccessful)

I was unsuccessful in applying for the PE Exam.  The BOE did not give me any credits for my engagements.  I have a few questions about the application:

1) The company I work for does not have a P.E..  I work with P.E.s daily and under their directions, but the P.E.s are not my boss nor work in my company.  Can they be my reference and verify engineering work for my engagement?

2) Comments came back said "insufficient info/detail to determine if engagement  is civil engineering work experience".  What are some of the key words you put in your application for engineering work?  Design? Calculation? Decision making?

3) Another comments came back said " @XYZ Company, Unclear who employer & Supervisor are".  This is probably due to the issue in my questions #1.  

I called the board of engineering and they said, "If you don't have a PE in your company, technically your company is not practicing Engineering".  I was so bumped to hear because I don't have to change company just to be able to take the exam.  I then called my good friend who has a PE, and he said that is B.S..   He said, I can get verify by people from other companies that you are working with in the project.  I hope someone here can clear this up.  I just might have to change company to get a PE......?

Thanks in advance.

Hugo

MrHugo said:

I was unsuccessful in applying for the PE Exam.  The BOE did not give me any credits for my engagements.  I have a few questions about the application:

1) The company I work for does not have a P.E..  I work with P.E.s daily and under their directions, but the P.E.s are not my boss nor work in my company.  Can they be my reference and verify engineering work for my engagement?

2) Comments came back said "insufficient info/detail to determine if engagement  is civil engineering work experience".  What are some of the key words you put in your application for engineering work?  Design? Calculation? Decision making?

3) Another comments came back said " @XYZ Company, Unclear who employer & Supervisor are".  This is probably due to the issue in my questions #1.  

I called the board of engineering and they said, "If you don't have a PE in your company, technically your company is not practicing Engineering".  I was so bumped to hear because I don't have to change company just to be able to take the exam.  I then called my good friend who has a PE, and he said that is B.S..   He said, I can get verify by people from other companies that you are working with in the project.  I hope someone here can clear this up.  I just might have to change company to get a PE......?

Thanks in advance.

Hugo

Click to expand...

Hugo,

You should not have been surprised to be rejected if you submitted references who are not PE's.  The application makes that requirement very clear.  To answer your questions:

1.)  Yes.  If they can attest to your engineering work, they can be your reference.

2.)  Don't lie but be creative with your wording.  Use the words you mentioned.  Say design-drafting, not just drafting.  List the Civil Engineering software applications and programs you used.  Say prepared engineering cost estimate, not just prepared cost estimate.  Same with specs.  List all the plans you have prepared by plan type (plan and profile, street improvement, grading, storm drain, erosion control, utilities, signing and striping, etc.), don't just say 'plans'.  List the engineering standards you've used to design.  Talk about decisions made and problems solved.  Talk about earthwork calcs, and quantity take-off's.  Don't say site visit, say field evaluation.  Etc. 

Thanks and you response helped a bunch.

FYI, all my reference I submitted were PEs.  They are not in my company however.

1) So they can be my engagement reference?  Not just talking about general reference.

2) This make sense.