# Aspiration to do the SE



## SEaspirant (Feb 11, 2022)

I live and work on the East Coast (NJ) and frankly speaking my current employer has no aspiration for me to go the full 9 yards and get the SE. It is infact alot of commitment having family, kids in high school, PM job, and unnecessarily having delayed it in professional life; however the motivation on refreshing oneself with the courses and material (as I am a Bridge Guy with 20+ years - going back to learn on the Buildings is a lot of learning). So wondering if any of you guys on the East Coast were in the same boat who initially saw no gain for getting the SE (from the Employer's perspective) but still saw the need to go for it. I was debating myself to rather do the PMP Certification and PM courses rather than this but then re-prioritized to go for the SE first. Appreciate all your input and share your experience.


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## psustruct (Feb 12, 2022)

For your OWN marketability, it is beneficial. If you find yourself unemployed (or need to relocate), the SE is more marketable because it holds more reciprocity power. And more states are requiring the SE to practice, so it opens up more employment options.

And the path to SE licensure may make you a better engineer.


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## a.train (Feb 21, 2022)

(former) East coaster here, and after the PE I found the exam "too easy". I don't mean to brag, but after the exam and I was wondering if I wasted that time I spent studying structural material. Like you, my employer didn't give any incentive to get an SE, but I liked the challenge and I certainly got it during my SE studying/exam ordeal. I ended up only having to retake gravity once, but I knew the passing rate was not great so it was far from certain I would pass and I used AEI to guide me through the seismic stuff I had no professional experience with. 

But afterwards it absolutely does make you stand out when you can put SE after your name (especially on the east coast) giving you more leverage where you can ask for more money, move to another firm, etc. And as mentioned, the studying made me a much better engineer where you could now understand and apply parts of the code and other building materials that you otherwise wouldn't be exposed to.


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