PE Exam Experience
PE Exam Experience
(OP)
Hello,
I've been doing structural design for about 2 1/2 years now. I work for a small company and it is my first job. I have a few great mentors and have learned a ton since starting work. I was the first young engineer without several years of experience to be hired by the company. The problem is that because of the volume of work we see and the fact that the vice principal is the only senior engineer that reviews work the level of quality control is low.
This has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety. I often find myself looking at jobs I worked on months earlier when they go under construction and seeing a lot of minor errors. I have caught many of my own mistakes, but I feel very responsible for each project and this has weighed heavily on me. The company seems happy with my performance but I dread the results of my mistakes. I think most of the errors I make are from a lack of experience rather than technical ability. Still, I wish calcs were reviewed from time to time or at least a comprehensive drawing review. Do managers in other company's occasionally spot check their engineers design?
That was a lot of background. I feel generally burnt out with design and am thinking about leaving my company after having worked for 3 years for a job doing project management. I would love to spend more time working in the field seeing how things actually get built. My question is would doing construction management count towards the 4 years engineering experience required to take the PE. My thoughts are that if there is a PE in the company it should count.
Any imput or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I've been doing structural design for about 2 1/2 years now. I work for a small company and it is my first job. I have a few great mentors and have learned a ton since starting work. I was the first young engineer without several years of experience to be hired by the company. The problem is that because of the volume of work we see and the fact that the vice principal is the only senior engineer that reviews work the level of quality control is low.
This has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety. I often find myself looking at jobs I worked on months earlier when they go under construction and seeing a lot of minor errors. I have caught many of my own mistakes, but I feel very responsible for each project and this has weighed heavily on me. The company seems happy with my performance but I dread the results of my mistakes. I think most of the errors I make are from a lack of experience rather than technical ability. Still, I wish calcs were reviewed from time to time or at least a comprehensive drawing review. Do managers in other company's occasionally spot check their engineers design?
That was a lot of background. I feel generally burnt out with design and am thinking about leaving my company after having worked for 3 years for a job doing project management. I would love to spend more time working in the field seeing how things actually get built. My question is would doing construction management count towards the 4 years engineering experience required to take the PE. My thoughts are that if there is a PE in the company it should count.
Any imput or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.






RE: PE Exam Experience
RE: PE Exam Experience
As long as you are working under the supervision of a PE, the experience should count.
But back to your original comments--I went through EXACTLY what you are going through at the beginning of my career (22 years ago). I worried A LOT about missing things, causing failures, killing people, etc. Let me assure you, you will get past these feelings. As you gain more experience, you will gain confidence in your work product and will worry less. In the meantime, ASK QUESTIONS of your mentors--they should be willing to help you out!
And while I know that failures DO occur in structures, they are extremely rare, and most often occur during construction. A wise engineer once told me, "don't worry so much about getting everything worked out down to the nth degree; just make sure that what you are doing is CONCEPTUALLY correct."
I put it like this when I talk to young engineers: choosing a W 18 X 35 where you should have chosen a W 21 X 44 won't kill anyone--but choosing a 2 X 12 where you should have chosen a W 21 X 44 will kill someone.
I hope this helps!
DaveAtkins
RE: PE Exam Experience
Good points. I would add that a good way to think of your structures is NOT that they are a bunch of beams and column connected together.
Rather: Your structure consists of numerous CONNECTIONS that happen to be linked by beams and columns.
Most failures occur in connections.
RE: PE Exam Experience
Hard to say if you're getting adequate mentoring, but the senior engineer sounds like a major ethical foul ball. He is supposed to be checking your work, not just putting a stamp on it. This is basic ethics requirements for PE's. So to directly answer your question, YES, managers in our firm review the EIT's designs.
If it were me, I would take that 2.5 years of experience to move to a better design firm. Pass the SE1 and maybe SE2, then consider moving to project management
RE: PE Exam Experience
I would still review the calculations and drawings prepared by an intern working for me even after they took the PE exam, right up until they received their own PE number. It might only be a cursory review at that point, but a review none the less.
RE: PE Exam Experience
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: PE Exam Experience
Now I am licensed and own my firm. I review everything my intern designs. It's hard to make time to meet with him. I gotta market the firm and design, too. But if he comes to my desk with a question or lets me know we need to talk, I make time for him. I told him to ask questions or I will assume he knows what to do. If you are not sure, go see your supervisor.
RE: PE Exam Experience
RE: PE Exam Experience
What area are you located in?
RE: PE Exam Experience
As a young engineer, if you join a large company, make sure you won't be "lost in the shuffle." And make sure you won't be stuck doing one line of work. Get varied experience--this will benefit you in the long run.
DaveAtkins
RE: PE Exam Experience
RE: PE Exam Experience
I frequentsly would get into discussions with the other project engineers and we would go into the "What If" mode on several of our projects, then discuss the suggestions. Learned a lot and got to see things form others points of view. (I did not work for HP)
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering