# what's after PE?



## Rei (Apr 19, 2010)

Last Friday was a rough day. I hope everyone did well. What is the % passing rate?

Anyway, I was wondering what's after getting a PE? Anyone has any thoughts on the RCDD certification?


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## pelaw (Apr 19, 2010)

There is no end to studying in this life. That's all I know. I don't know what it will be, but there will something to study for.


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## Angstrom (Apr 19, 2010)

Rei said:


> Last Friday was a rough day. I hope everyone did well. What is the % passing rate?
> Anyway, I was wondering what's after getting a PE? Anyone has any thoughts on the RCDD certification?


Get your scuba certification. Go dive on some shipwrecks.


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## rjmaster19 (Apr 19, 2010)

I have to say its a little hard to think of another exam until I get the results back... but since I do Control Systems work, I'm thinking of getting ISAs Certified Automation Professional (CAP).

Does anyone have any other ideas???


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## pelaw (Apr 19, 2010)

I'd like to get Fire Protection and Mechanical PE. I honestly feel like PE is all you need. Of course, I maybe underestimating some of these certifications, but PE is at the apex. If anything, I would recommend getting Project Management Institute certification. The reason is that PMI broadens your options into overseeing projects that maybe outside of your specific engineering area of expertise.


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## Dark Knight (Apr 20, 2010)

I'd rather not to answer that question. Do not want to ruin your dreams.


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## Rei (Apr 20, 2010)

I hear ya; I'm still trying to recover from the PE exam as well. It was hard for me to initally started studying for the PE and so I feel while the momentum is still there, I might as well use it for something else.

PE is important in the power world, but I noticed that some projects require a RCDD seal on the telecommunications drawings along with the PE seal. Sometimes just the PE seal is ok, but some do ask for the RCDD seal as well. I actually don't know anything about it. I just looked it up and it seem like a long process and costly too. If anyone here in the electrical field also have the RCDD certification, please let me know what you think.


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## wilheldp_PE (Apr 20, 2010)

I passed the LEED AP exam shortly after the PE because I was riding a wave of study motivation.


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## cdcengineer (Apr 20, 2010)

wilheldp_PE said:


> I passed the LEED AP exam shortly after the PE because I was riding a wave of study motivation.



Did you take the LEED exam under the 8 hour format? Or before they changed it? And if it was the new format, what'd ya think as far as it's level of difficulty?


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## wilheldp_PE (Apr 20, 2010)

cdcengineer said:


> wilheldp_PE said:
> 
> 
> > I passed the LEED AP exam shortly after the PE because I was riding a wave of study motivation.
> ...


I took it before they changed it. I really haven't investigated the exam since the change, but I would have to say that if it takes 8 hours now, it must be more difficult. I finished the test in about 2 hours, and had results when I walked out of the room. I put in about a month of sporadic studying, and a long weekend of cramming...and passed with a 93%.


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## benbo (Apr 20, 2010)

THe FM exam. Fatty money.


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## Glenn (Apr 20, 2010)

pelaw said:


> I'd like to get Fire Protection and Mechanical PE. I honestly feel like PE is all you need. Of course, I maybe underestimating some of these certifications, but PE is at the apex. If anything, I would recommend getting Project Management Institute certification. The reason is that PMI broadens your options into overseeing projects that maybe outside of your specific engineering area of expertise.


Hello,

I agree with you recommending getting Project Management Institute certification; as you pointed out, "it really broadens your options into overseeing projects outside of your specific engineering area of expertise." I successfully took the exams in 2005...


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## knight1fox3 (Apr 20, 2010)

pelaw said:


> There is no end to studying in this life. That's all I know. I don't know what it will be, but there will something to study for.


LOL!!!! Indeed you are correct pelaw. As far as the PE is concerned, I also feel this is the apex. I'll be starting graduate school in the Fall for electrical and computer engineering so it's as you say, there is no end.


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## electric (Apr 20, 2010)

Rei said:


> Anyway, I was wondering what's after getting a PE? Anyone has any thoughts on the RCDD certification?


If I pass PE this time, I am going for RCDD. My boss just passed the test but he took it in March with the old format. All new applications will be processed with the new format and everything about this certification is very expensive. Now with the new format, prior to taking RCDD test, you have to pass some basic IT test which is conducted online.

This is totally different animal than PE as it requires a lot of memorizing, not much technical but more of commonsense test. I am going to say this again, everything about this certification EXPENSIVE!


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## Rei (Apr 21, 2010)

electric said:


> If I pass PE this time, I am going for RCDD. My boss just passed the test but he took it in March with the old format. All new applications will be processed with the new format and everything about this certification is very expensive. Now with the new format, prior to taking RCDD test, you have to pass some basic IT test which is conducted online.This is totally different animal than PE as it requires a lot of memorizing, not much technical but more of commonsense test. I am going to say this again, everything about this certification EXPENSIVE!


Yeah, no kidding, esp. if you are not a member, the price is so high. I am afraid my company won't pay for the classes.

So are you familiar with the process of getting the certification? Do we take the IT test first before we go through the complicated application process? I think it is more complicated than the PE. They ask for two references from the clients which I don't know how to get from a big firm.


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## electric (Apr 24, 2010)

Rei,

From BICSI website https://www.bicsi.org/rcdd_exams.aspxTo apply for the RCDD credential, you must have *passed the ITS Fundamentals examination* and have at least one of the following:

Five years ITS design experience

Two years verifiable ITS design experience and three years additional ITS equivalents chosen from combinations of experience, approved education and approved ITS license/certification

BICSI reserves the right in determining what is approved curriculum and approved ITS license/certification.

Application process is not difficult and they approve most of the exam application.

If you go to this link, there are BICSI representative who are very helpful.

https://www.bicsi.org/bicsi_antitrust.aspx


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## Twofrogs (Apr 28, 2010)

Honestly, the other certifications are not necessary (in the end they are a moneymaking operation for someone else, especially the LEED), unless you have some other intent beyond the electrical discipline, such as project management. Study the IEEE standards &amp; gain new experiences, your PE is all you need, that's my two cents.


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## sparky2010 (Apr 29, 2010)

Twofrogs said:


> Honestly, the other certifications are not necessary (in the end they are a moneymaking operation for someone else, especially the LEED), unless you have some other intent beyond the electrical discipline, such as project management. Study the IEEE standards &amp; gain new experiences, your PE is all you need, that's my two cents.



I beg to differ. I'm an electrical PE with an RCDD and LEED in an MEP role with an A/E. I'm the only RCDD in a firm of 330 people and it gives me a specialty niche on all the federal projects we bid on. It may not matter much to someone employed in industry, but in the A/E world certifications can make the difference between a regular paycheck and an unemployment check.


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## Twofrogs (Apr 29, 2010)

sparky said:


> Twofrogs said:
> 
> 
> > Honestly, the other certifications are not necessary (in the end they are a moneymaking operation for someone else, especially the LEED), unless you have some other intent beyond the electrical discipline, such as project management. Study the IEEE standards &amp; gain new experiences, your PE is all you need, that's my two cents.
> ...


I agree, in the A/E world where the emphasis is typically on the commercial market type items (hospitals, office buildings, schools...etc), that sector does place a high value on acronyms beyond your name, especially if a client has an RFP that requires certifications for design. However, an interesting point, with respect to the LEED, isn't it already your duty as an engineer to design an efficient system? To hand over a large chunk of change over to an organization that provides minimal electrical education in return (there's really not that much to do with electrical for the LEED, seems to be more about materials, stormwater drainage...etc) just doesn't make sense &amp; to a lesser degree the BICSI cert is a constant thing that you need to maintain, that is both financially &amp; with time spent taking courses that meet their requirements. The BICSI books are a really good source, by all means and the training required is also extremely invaluable. I just don't appreciate the money making side of it all, for me it doesn't seem worthwhile.


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