When a PE denies signing the SER

[Alex Marco]

Hello to all,

Just want general advise for this question. I worked for a PE for 3 years and because of unfair working circumstances I quit, and gave him my 2 weeks notice and all. I did not have any other job lined up but I did end up working for his competition. Now that I am applying for my PE, he will not sign my SER. Can I file a complaint to the board of PEs? I have other engineers willing to sign and certify that I did all this work. I just think it is very unethical what he is doing.

Any thoughts? Thanks

 

[ISpitHotFire PE]

You can't force anyone to sign anything. If you have other engineers who can verify your experience, why bother with an old boss who you don't get along with? Check your state's code of ethics and if he did something to violate it, then you can report it. If your only motivation is retaliation, I would recommend just moving on - which it sounds like you have.

 

[ptatohed]

What is an SER?  Why is this in the Exam Preparation forum?  If you have enough engineers to certify your work, why are you bothering with your old boss? 

Moving....

 

[cupojoe PE PMP]

Unfortunately there are people in this world who think they own you and take it personally when you want to do something different. Whether it be for a different company or for a different group within a larger company. There is likely no way to make amends with this person. If he doesn't want to give you a reference, it will not help to force him to give you a reference (even if there was a way). If he writes the reference he could write something bad, that will make it harder for you going forward.

My advice: move on with your life.

 

[smahurin]

Agree with others if you have other options, just list someone else.  It certainly sounds like he's being childish and petty but no good will come of you trying to force the issue.  

 

[ME-PE]

Something similar happened to me - a PE who I had worked under (my supervisor's supervisor) refused to sign off on my application because he didn't directly observe the work that I was performing, and signing off would violate our State's code of ethics.  

My first reaction was, "seriously?!?"  - A lot of work that I did was as a result of direct requests from this individual. 

In the end, it stung, but it was his right to not want to put his stamp on my application, and I respected that decision.

I was fortunate in that I had plenty of options for other references - my advice is to not pursue anything in attempt to get his signature.  Find other resources and move on.

 

[John QPE]

I had to deal with this as well when compiling my NCEES record. If you have other options, simply use those options and never speak to this person again. Karma is a bitch, and things like this are never forgotten. Our industry is a relatively small one at the local level, and everyone knows each other.....this will bite him in the ass, I guarantee you that.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Never underestimate how small the engineering community is. One of my old supervisors took at job in San Diego (originally from Denver), and when I reached out to him for a reference when I was looking to move to New Zealand, one of his new co-workers knew the HR manager of their branch here in Auckland, NZ. In less than a month, a connection hooked me up with a job 7000+ miles away on the other side of the world.

As others have said, look to your board's requirements for who can sign your experience record. If it has to be a PE and he was the only PE that you worked with, you may be in a tight spot. However, if there are other PE's who can verify your experience or if the board does not require your supervisor to have a PE, it would be best to go with other sources. In CO, having a PE verify your experience is preferred but not a requirement, especially for your "early" years of experience. 

 

[Guest]

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