Qualifying Civil Engineering Experience for PE License

[Civillady]

Hello,

I have recently revisited the journey obtaining my PE license (I am scheduled to take the FE exam in 2 months) but I still feel as though my path is not quite clear. I obtained my civil engineering bachelors degree in 2018. For 3 years I worked for a large General Contractor here in California, and at the end 2021 I moved to a new city here in CA where I joined the Public Works Engineering division. In the the general contractor company I primarily did construction management roles (scheduling, estimating, field engineering, change management), though no design. I also never had a direct supervisor who had their PE license. Here at the public works I am working more on the development side , primarily doing civil work plan check reviews/approval for new subdivisions, encroachment permit approval which involves traffic control plan review and approval, and a few other permit review types, however again I’m not performing any direct design work. My director in this department is a PE, and the deputy director is also a PE. I am conflicted because I believe it would be challenging to demonstrate qualifying experience. In the case I take the PE exam not long after passing the FE, I’d need to demonstrate qualifying work experience, so Im unsure if my CM work would contribute , and I’m unsure if my current work here would also benefit. I am now in a place where I’m debating if I would eventually need to join a firm that will allow me to get design experience and/or obtain a masters to also contribute to experience. My question is has anyone been able to use their experience in CM and/or public sector work (specifically in the plan check side) as experience. If so, how did you describe your work to demonstrate it?

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Look at your board rules as it relates to references. I was in the same situation as you when I went for my PE in NJ. I couldn't count the position towards my engineering experience but I think I still included it in case there was any question about my other work. You may not have worked under a PE, but developing project management skills, and working with clients or municipality inspectors is a good skill. If all of your references do not have to be a PE, you can ask your manager for that role to be a reference for you. NJ only requires 3 PE references, so I used my manager as a reference. Having a detailed breakdown of that position on your application could also help justify that managers reference for you as it won't appear to juat be from a random person.

 

[Civillady]

Look at your board rules as it relates to references. I was in the same situation as you when I went for my PE in NJ. I couldn't count the position towards my engineering experience but I think I still included it in case there was any question about my other work. You may not have worked under a PE, but developing project management skills, and working with clients or municipality inspectors is a good skill. If all of your references do not have to be a PE, you can ask your manager for that role to be a reference for you. NJ only requires 3 PE references, so I used my manager as a reference. Having a detailed breakdown of that position on your application could also help justify that managers reference for you as it won't appear to juat be from a random person.

Thank you for your response! So what experience did you end up using for the application ? Did you ultimately have to switch fields? I am now working for a public entity where I don’t directly do design however I plan check according to city codes, standards and other regulatory standards (mutcd, ceqa, astm, etc), and wondering if that would also qualify . But yes as you said I will definitely get in touch with the California board

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

I ended up getting back into engineering design before going for my PE license, so I had 4 years of engineering experience on top of the construction management experience. You will also need to check the application requirements in terms of how what the California board is looking for. What you are doing may count, or they may also want to see actual design experience along with increased job responsibilities as you gain more experience. However, the fact that you are plan checking against the different codes could be used to demonstrate your knowledge of the different codes. Everyone takes a different path so don't feel like you can't get it just because you don't have traditional work experience.

 

[steel]

I'd recommend contacting the California board. Also, California has their own Seismic and Surveying exams to become licensed, so you may need to be taking that one instead.

 

[East coast Engineer]

Hello,

I have recently revisited the journey obtaining my PE license (I am scheduled to take the FE exam in 2 months) but I still feel as though my path is not quite clear. I obtained my civil engineering bachelors degree in 2018. For 3 years I worked for a large General Contractor here in California, and at the end 2021 I moved to a new city here in CA where I joined the Public Works Engineering division. In the the general contractor company I primarily did construction management roles (scheduling, estimating, field engineering, change management), though no design. I also never had a direct supervisor who had their PE license. Here at the public works I am working more on the development side , primarily doing civil work plan check reviews/approval for new subdivisions, encroachment permit approval which involves traffic control plan review and approval, and a few other permit review types, however again I’m not performing any direct design work. My director in this department is a PE, and the deputy director is also a PE. I am conflicted because I believe it would be challenging to demonstrate qualifying experience. In the case I take the PE exam not long after passing the FE, I’d need to demonstrate qualifying work experience, so Im unsure if my CM work would contribute , and I’m unsure if my current work here would also benefit. I am now in a place where I’m debating if I would eventually need to join a firm that will allow me to get design experience and/or obtain a masters to also contribute to experience. My question is has anyone been able to use their experience in CM and/or public sector work (specifically in the plan check side) as experience. If so, how did you describe your work to demonstrate it?

I got my CA license last year. CA board is very particular regarding the definition of civil engineering. I had most of my experience in CM and QA and had a tough time getting enough credit (4 years in total) before meeting the requirement . However, it is important to mention that you do not need to be in design only to get a qualifying civil engineering experience.