Are you an "Engineer"?

[KenGr]

Originally posted by: HokieESM

Originally posted by: khlee
PE is only recommended for people who dont have a bachelors in engineering right? I dont see the point of taking the PE if you already have a BS of Engineering from a top university.

Nope. You HAVE to have a PE before you can do ANY work that qualifies for the health and safety of the public. Try to get a good civil engineering job without a PE. All bridges, buildings, roads, etc have to have a PE stamp in order to be built.

Most of the UL-qualified stuff sold on the market (like electrical components) are PE stamped.

I graduated from a good school, with a good GPA. But you still need that stamp.

EDIT: Think of it more this way: a lawyer has to pass the BAR to be a practicing attorney. So if someone goes to law school and fails the BAR, are they an attorney?

A couple of clarifications:

PE licenses are granted by states. Some states require a BS in Engineering plus 4 years experience to qualify to take the exam. Others allow non-degreed people to take the exam but this option is going away rapidly.

You are generally required to be licensed to issue drawings for construction for facilities controlled by state building codes. You don't have to be licensed to do the design work as long as a licensed engineer supervises the work and stamps the document. You also have to have a license to certify design to state mandated codes such as ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code or structural codes.

In many states, structural engineers are not, technically, professional engineers. There is a separate certification for licensed Structural Engineers (SE)

The requirements to call yourself an "engineer" vary from state to state. Texas is the only one I'm aware of at the moment where it is illegal to identify yourself as an Engineer unless you hold a Texas PE license.

A large majority of engineers don't require a license but it's still a good concept.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: edro13
I was talking to an egotistical guy today that works in the "Engineering" department. He was acting acting like those "engineers" typically do, acting like they know everything... Well, I fixed his problem (re-installed his Novell Client).

He said, "Well that shouldn't have taken an engineer to fix that."
I really had no idea what he meant by that, so
I said, "Umm... aren't you guys engineers up here?"
He said, "Yeah, I am an Engineer."
I said, "You mean you are one of those guys with funny hats, that drive trains?"
He said, "Well aren't you done? You can get the hell out of here now!"
HAHAHAHAHA!

I work on computers, and am graduating in a month with a Computer Engineering Technology from DeVry in Columbus..... and there is NO WAY IN HELL that I will ever call myself an engineer! (I'm not)

THIS IS AN ENGINEER! Not a freakin' CAD drawer with an ego!

you should probably watch your mouth, that guy might be powerful enough to get you fired. Or at the very least, see that you don't get promoted for a long ass time. :Q

This is how I see your situation. I have a BSEE and my garbage man doesn't. I don't know which button in the garbage truck to push to get the robot arm to take away my weekly trash. That's where you come in, so will you please just be quiet and just push the right button? :Q

 

[FoBoT]

engineer is in my job title, so i guess i am

 

[NoReMoRsE]

I got into Comp Eng @ Waterloo (supposedly one of the best progs in Canada) and I rejected them! MUAHAHAHAHA!

 

[glenn1]

According to R. Lee Ermey (Chief Drill Instructor Hartman from "Full Metal Jacket"), engineers are there to go out and find mines.

 

[ManSnake]

I am a "human engineer" because I know how to make babies!!

 

[Mani]

The term is waay overused these days. Every schmuck that's worked a scope, soddered a wire, or completed some IT certification claims to be an engineer these days.

I just recently interviewed candidates for out technician and people that had barely taken 2 circuits courses in a community college were calling themselves electrical engineers.

 

[Mani]

dp

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Acts837
term is way overused today. Everbody loves titles.

Like sanitation engineer = janitor... So lame.

 

[cliftonite]

Originally posted by: ManSnake
I am a "human engineer" because I know how to make babies!!

lol

 

[zimmie6576]

I majored in computer engineering, at RIT. It is an official engieering program, ABET accredited and so on. I graduated, so I guess I'm an engineer. We do have a computer engineering technology program (as well as mechanical engineering technology, electrical engineering technology, and another couple I think). These programs are part of the college of applied science and technology. They do not qualify as engineering, as evidenced by the word "technology" at the end.

 

[The Wildcard]

Maybe if your degree says engineering?

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: OS

you should probably watch your mouth, that guy might be powerful enough to get you fired. Or at the very least, see that you don't get promoted for a long ass time. :Q
This is how I see your situation. I have a BSEE and my garbage man doesn't. I don't know which button in the garbage truck to push to get the robot arm to take away my weekly trash. That's where you come in, so will you please just be quiet and just push the right button? :Q[/quote]

Wrong and wrong. The engineers (there) are all moron CAD drawers. In fact, I don't even think that they draw the CAD work, I think they just put labels on them and stuff.

And if you are too stupid to know what button to push on the trash truck that says "Push To Compact", then you are a true moron. Go ahead and stay in your cubicle, drawing your little rainbow colored stick figures, collecting rulers and old @ss HP calculators... you will be stuck there for the rest of your life.

Ouch... that was kinda mean. Look on the bright side, you can go around telling people that you are superior because you are an engineer!

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: HokieESM
Actually an ENGINEER is technically someone who can hold a P.E. in a state. (that is, a professional engineering license).

You've got it.

And please, don't confuse Professional Engineers with "Techies" which is what Tech schools put out. It's like comparing a paralegal to a lawyer, or a chiropractor to an MD.

 

[Yossarian]

I have a B.S. in mechanical engineering and my title is Project Engineer so I guess I'm in the club.

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: The_Wildcard
Maybe if your degree says engineering?

No. It's not that simple. You can get a degree of "Engineering" from some Tech schools in weeks. Don't even get started with MS use of "Engineer" with MSCE.

They have as much to do with the Engineering profession as a person does "engineering" a turd out of their a$$ while sitting on the can.

 

[edro]

The thing that I find funny about this whole discussion, is that NO ONE here has a bachelor's degree from DeVry AND has a "real" engineering degree... sooo... no one has the right to rag on the other. Although it is pretty fun to take swings at each other

I do think that DeVry has been pretty easy... of course I am a genius... so I might have thrown the result.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: edro13

Wrong and wrong. The engineers (there) are all moron CAD drawers. In fact, I don't even think that they draw the CAD work, I think they just put labels on them and stuff.

And if you are too stupid to know what button to push on the trash truck that says "Push To Compact", then you are a true moron. Go ahead and stay in your cubicle, drawing your little rainbow colored stick figures, collecting rulers and old @ss HP calculators... you will be stuck there for the rest of your life.

Ouch... that was kinda mean. Look on the bright side, you can go around telling people that you are superior because you are an engineer!

You don't get it. It's not because accredited engineers are too stupid to learn. It's simply not worth their time to learn. It's cheaper for the company to pay a monkey like you to do it instead of teaching the engineer.

BTW, that's interesting you know what exactly the button is labeled. :Q I wouldn't know.

 

[geckojohn]

I'm a telecom/network engineer by job title... but i also work in the IT department

 

[Alchemist99]

I was a Petroleum Transfer Engineer when I was younger!


I.E. I pumped gas

 

[Tonix]

I'm all for professional certification and encourage anyone that meets ABET's credentials to take the FE and PE, but in reality...there are tons of degreed engineers out there in industry doing engineering work without their FE or PE's (I know 'cause I met them ). I would most certainly call them engineers....heck some of the best engineers in history didn't even go to college and learned on the job...ie: Jack Northrop - an awsome aircraft pioneer and company founder...ah, but that was a different era

But there are fields where the FE/PE certification is a must - Civil/Transportation works , Architecture and Construction...pretty much anything that is designed and has to be reviewed and approved by some sort of government agency/entity...once your PE stamp goes on some plans, your @ss is on the line

I got my FE right after I graduated in '92 but sadly found it added very little to my resume during my search for a job in the consulting/government/manufacturing sector...most of the senior engineers that interviewed me didn't even take the FE let alone the PE. The only place it was appreciated was the Architect and Engineering (A&E) firm that finally hired me. I must say that I hold the PE's I worked for in the highest regard for their professionalism towards their work. I used to be a member of NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) and was well on my way to getting a PE...but I became disillusioned with doing nothing but HVAC/Plumbing design work, long OT hours, and not very good pay and called it quits after 3 years and decided to become a CS flunkie.

With all that being said...I do plan on eventually taking the PE exam. Not for any work or career reason, but for self-satisfaction...engineering has always been my first love, but this CS stuff sure pays the bills

Good luck HokieESM!

Originally posted by: HokieESM

Originally posted by: Tonix
I'd say anyone that gets a degree from an ABET accredited program at a university can be considered as an enginerd


BSME '92
BSCS '03

Getting close Tonix. If you graduated from an ABET school, you can take the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) Exam to become an Engineer-In-Training... and then four years later, you can take the PE to become a Professional Engineer.

I have a BSME ('99) and a MSME ('01) from an accredited school (NCSU), and I've passed the FE. So I am an EIT. AFTER I finish my PhD (hopefully, HOPEFULLY by May '04) I'm going to take the PE (I could actually take it now, but REALLY don't have time).... THEN I'll be an engineer. I'm NOT now. People forget that an "engineer" is a legal title... just like "lawyer". You gotta have that stamp.

 

[Triumph]

Newsflash - The term Engineer was around long before trains were.

 

[Dedpuhl]

The ONLY people that have the right to call themselves "engineers" are the people that have passed the P.E.

In Louisiana, it is also illegal to refer to yourself as an engineer if you do not have a license.

Currently, I am an E.I.....or Engineer Intern. I have 3 years to go before I take the P.E. While I wait, I'm planning to go to grad school at LSU for Water Resources (Civil).


I'm not sure, but I think the state or federal government started using the term "engineer technician" to make the "grunts" feel better about themselves....

 

[Tonix]

I remember the student chapters of IEEE and ASME selling T-shirts with a similar Top-10 list - I sure wish I had bought one.

Top Ten Reasons to be an Engineer
10. Physics for three semesters with the finest faculity this side of the Grand Canyon
9. Purchase a 75 dollar book and only open it once
8. Five years of college is better than four
7. Reference to large canines and a tee-shirt company in E-Mail address
6. There are countless uses for Vector Calculus in the real world
5. Non-English speaking lab instructors
4. Understand why rdr^2 is funny
3. HOT engineering babes
2. Who really needs a high GPA anyways
1. Driving a train is the greatest job in the world

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl
The ONLY people that have the right to call themselves "engineers" are the people that have passed the P.E.

In Louisiana, it is also illegal to refer to yourself as an engineer if you do not have a license.

Currently, I am an E.I.....or Engineer Intern. I have 3 years to go before I take the P.E. While I wait, I'm planning to go to grad school at LSU for Water Resources (Civil).


I'm not sure, but I think the state or federal government started using the term "engineer technician" to make the "grunts" feel better about themselves....

You are incorrect. You can be an engineer without being a licensed P.E.