Benefits of California Seismic/Surveying Exam for Non-Residents?

[northrup]

Hey,

I'm a bridge engineer in Illinois who has passed the NCEES 8-hr exam. I'm still at least 2 years away from being able to take the SE, and I'd like to see if I can knock out the California-specific exams in the meantime.

The benefits to finishing the exam are clear - better seismic experience will help me when it comes time to prepare for the SE, and a better understanding of surveying is a beneficial set of tools to better understand the projects I'm working on. But are there real career benefits to knocking out the exams if I don't live in California? Do employers/clients see the California PE as a benefit?

 

[leggo PE]

I haven't tested this theory, but it is my understanding that being licensed as a CA PE is more valuable in other markets than it is in CA itself. I think you can get reciprocity fairly easily in any other state with a CA PE license and the accompanying work experience required by whichever state you are attempting to get reciprocity from.