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08.10

A Dozen Reasons Why You Should Obtain Your P.E. License

Many engineers obtain their professional engineer (P.E.) license because it is a specific job requirement.  Many others choose not to obtain a P.E. license because it is not a direct job requirement.  Meanwhile, there are reasons for becoming a licensed professional engineer that are larger than the immediate minimal needs of a current job. IEEE Senior Member Cameron Wright, P.E., states:

“It is easy to fall back on the industrial exemption as a rationalization for avoiding the moderate effort required to obtain a P.E. license.  It then becomes easy as well to assume the company will take care of any safety and ethical issues associated with the company’s products.  It is my contention that through the pursuit and attainment of a P.E. license, the individual engineer becomes much more aware of the need to take personal responsibility for the ramification of his or her engineering efforts…a powerful advantage of licensure to society is in the greater concern for engineering safety and for the ethics cultivated with the license.”

Once an engineer obtains the P.E. license, his or her loyalty to the ethics and standards of that license adds an additional element of personal responsibility for the safety issues surrounding any product being designed or developed.  The P.E. designation is an indication of competence and professionalism that each engineer who obtains it must live up to.  Likewise, fellow engineers and the general public recognize it as an indication of competence and responsible engineering practice. 

Each time an engineer signs an engineering document, whether practicing under the industrial exemption or as a private consultant, he or she is aware that this signature represents taking responsibility for the correctness and safety of the product.  The P.E. formalizes that responsibility and puts it up front for the engineer, his or her co-workers and boss, and the public.  The engineer is no longer hiding behind his or her company’s industrial exemption, he or she is clearly the responsible engineer.

Many non-engineering professionals belong to engineering organizations like IEEE, so membership in this organization does not indicate that one has an engineering education or any design and analysis background.  Having a P.E. shows that one has an engineering education plus engineering experience.  It clearly states: “I am an engineer.”

A list of reasons for becoming a licensed engineer follows:

1. The P.E. license is an important mark of a professional engineer.
    

2. When you’re searching for a new job, the P.E. license provides an extra credential and may help you get the job.  It also provides qualification for some career opportunities that might not otherwise exist, since many companies write it into job descriptions as a requirement.
    

3. The P.E. license demonstrates your dedication to the engineering profession and is viewed favorably by most employers.
    

4. To sign and seal engineering documents for public and private clients, the P.E. license is required.
    

5. The P.E. license requires continuing education in many states and territories, so it indicates your continuing efforts to stay current.
    

6. Many engineers practice in areas that affect the health, safety and welfare of the public; therefore, you should consider obtaining licensure for both ethical and professional career reasons.
    

7. Adding P.E. after your name accords you a measure of respect from managers, customers and suppliers, and it gives you some extra credibility when debating an issue with a non-engineering boss.  The P.E. license adds credence to your qualifications, makes it easier to defend your work and may give you a little extra respect at promotion time.
    

8. The process of preparing for the professional engineering exam 4+ years after graduating from college is a great refresher during your professional life.
    

9. The P.E. license is required if you wish to become a consulting engineer, and you cannot know what the future holds.
    

10. P.E. is the public acknowledgement by the engineer of one’s responsibility and intent to behave, design and implement in a responsible manner to serve the common good and ensure public safety. (IEEE Life Member R. Neil Fisher, Ashland, Ky.)
     

11. The P.E. license is required to work in some countries and many companies are going global.
     

12. When testifying in a court case, a P.E. makes your testimony carry more weight with the judge or jury than those without a P.E., even if one has a Ph.D.

Will becoming a licensed P.E. actually make you a better engineer?  It will certainly make you more aware of your responsibility for the accuracy and safety of systems you sign off on.  Your license may initiate an extra moment of hesitation that will sometimes cause you to recheck your work yet again, just to be sure.  An extra check of the correctness of your work will lead to your being a better engineer.

Will adding the P.E. designation after your name bring you more respect in your role as an engineer?  It will certainly become a part of your professional image and affect the way you are perceived by others.  Your best credential is the quality of your work and your reputation of personal integrity.  Adding P.E. after you name attests to the value you put on those qualities.

You should pursue and obtain the P.E. license because it will make you a better engineer and it will bring you more respect in your role as an engineer. And, someday, it may open an employment door for you.

Aaron Collins, Ph.D., P.E. currently serves as a member of the IEEE-USA Licensure & Registration Committee. He is Associate Dean of Engineering at Mercer University, and has worked as a volunteer with the NCEES Electrical & Computer PE Exam Committee for more than 15 years.

George Dean, P.E., has been a member of IEEE since 1957. He is currently a member of the IEEE-USA Licensure & Registration Committee, the vice president of finance for IEEE’s Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, and a member of the Kansas Board of Technical Professionals.

John Steadman, Ph.D., P.E., is a member of the IEEE-USA Licensure & Registration Committee, a former IEEE-USA President and current Dean of Engineering at the University of South Alabama.

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.