Do you think the grandfathering provision is 4 years total or 4 years as a licensed PE? I'll probably end up taking the SE anyway to be able to do work in any state (my company has work scattered all over, so the SE would be a huge asset), but it'd be nice to not have to pass it in order to keep doing what I'm doing in state.
My guess is that it would be longer than the 4 years required for the PE...probably at least 4 years as a structural PE. Keep in mind though, a grandfathered PE probably wont be worth anything to California or Washington, you are going to want to pass the exam if thats your goal.
Fortunately everything I've done has been structures, so as long as they accept structural experience as an EI I'll be good to go. Most of our work at this location is for projects in FL, so there'll be enough to do in state to keep me busy and employed. The SE is just a nice-to-have and makes me more valuable to the company, but it's not a deal breaker so long as I can continue to do stuff here.
It's definitely on the radar, though. The industry seems to be moving that way and I don't want to be left behind by not passing the SE too.
