Alternate Titles for a Process Engineer (EIT)

[AggieCHEN04]

I recently got a job at a small company in Texas that designs natural gas processing plants. I'm basically a process engineer, but I can't be called an "engineer" because I'm not a PE yet. My official title is "process associate," but I don't particularly care to use that.

What are some other alternate titles for process engineers? Is simply putting "process engineering" beneath my name acceptable if it refers to a department. (really, the "Process Engineering Dept." is just me and another guy)

I think the rules change from state to state, but I could be wrong.

 

[jsummerfield]

One or more of the big E&C firms in Houston eliminated engineering titles on business cards. During the same time frame the state board was encouraging the use of P.E. on business cards, letters, etc. Excluding the title intentionally avoids differentiating engineers from designers. Inclusion of the PE abreviation is a "feel good" thing for some.

My cards have an engineer title and P.E. after my name. Like many in Texas, I became registered after the state started grand-standing on the engineer title - and using stiff licensing fees to pay the state employees.

John

 

[rtcsp]

I don't live in Texas, and have a few dumb questions....

Are all piping designers in Texas P.E.s? Why would a piping designer, responsible for the layout of a piping system, not qualify as:

(2) design, conceptual design, or conceptual design coordination of engineering works or systems;

and/or

(7) engineering for construction, alteration, or repair of real property;

 

[jsummerfield]

Few piping designers in Texas are P.E.

A piping designer often lays out a piping system. A piping engineer performs the stress analysis and may be responsible for most of the design, materials, etc. Although designers make the big bucks including 1.5X overtime, some engineer who spent his time at the university often gets stuck with the responsibility for the designers work. Few projects are "public" per se thus are not stamped.

A management of change process evaluates the engineering for construction - where the site has problems and engineering responds with modifications or documents the suitability, etc. Defferent names for the process include request for information, advanced design notice, site query, etc.

I do not follow the comment regarding repair of real property. You may want to clarify this.


John

 

[bimr]

AggieCHEN04,

You answered your own question. "As long as nothing catastrophic happens, it will probably never be a problem."

I am not intending to be a stickler, I am just letting you know what the law says.

The same thing happens to anyone in business operating without any a required license. Someone will invariably get mad about something or other (girlfriend, divorce, customer etc.) and turns in a complaint to the licensing board.

 

[AggieCHEN04]

The same thing happens to anyone in business operating without any a required license.

I'm operating without a license as long as I fulfill the role of process engineer and don't have my PE.

Someone will invariably get mad about something or other (girlfriend, divorce, customer etc.) and turns in a complaint to the licensing board.

This is something I've been wondering about. I'm curious as to how common this is. If the Board does catch you calling yourself an engineer, how severe is the punishment? Does your company get fined? I wonder what the legal precedence is? I would think that the TBPE would be reluctant to go against larger firms and companies.

 

[jsummerfield]

Find disciplinary action at

http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/disciplinary.htm

How large do you mean? Find CDI action October 2001

http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/da/da101701.htm

John

 

[bimr]

AggieCHEN04,

This is what the situation is. People who work in the civil field are working with the general public. You are more likely to run into problems with licensing as a result of this. For example, some communities specify that plans have to be stamped by a licensed engineer. Also, in the civil field, you are working with politicians who are always looking to smear someone else. An unlicensed engineer is be an easy target. Can't you just imagine the newspaper headlines?

Conversely, Mr. Montemayor and yourself are working for private entities with smaller numbers of people involved. There is little enforcement of registration unless problems occur, and then enforcement will come down like a hammer.

Here is an example:

http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/hyatt/hyatt1.htm

Personally, I think all engineers should be registered. It will raise everyone's salaries if non-engineers are kept out of the engineering field. It is a simple matter of supply and demand. Likewise, companies are happy to hire unqualified people at low salaries. And I doubt it is against the law to hire a cheaper unqualified person.

According to US employment laws, most people are "at will" employees and can be fired for any reason and without cause. In this work environment, it is foolhardly to talk about personal freedoms, crummy state licensing boards, etc. Whatever you can demand for salary, you are worth it.

Some other references:

http://www.tcnj.edu/~rgraham/license.html

http://www.peng.ca/english/students/faqs.html

 

[stewbaby]

Bimr

Hang in there! I like the way you think.

On a side note, by the leter of the law...I probably violated my liscensure in ethics just by taking time away from work to read all these pose! B-)

 

[StressGuy]

A couple of years back, the EPC company I work for had to go through a big rigamarole to come up with standard titles and all the non-PE's had to get new cards w/o Engineer on them. People with PE's (as I am now) are Mechanial Engineer, Process Engineer, etc. Those who work in engineering but do not have PE's are Mechanical Specialists. I don't think we were fined, but the change was mandated by the state board.

I understand that the state has since relaxed things to allow us to use Engineer as an internal title, but since we've already changed over and had these new titles for several years, so we're sticking with them.

The whole engineering licensing system is geared toward civil engineers doing bridges and buildings for the state or "the public". Things don't seem to translate very well over into the world of process/electrical/mechanical/civil engineering that is typically done by EPC companies for the various refineries and chemical plants around the Houston shipchannel. Quite frankly, the industry is somewhat to blame for this already as the engineers that I deal with who work for the client companies are "industry exempt" since they don't offer engineering "to the public" but just for their parent companies.

I'm a stress engineer for my company and I do analysis/design work all the time. Virtually nothing is ever stamped and the EPC's and Clients seem to prefer it that way.

Now as far as the original poster's question goes, since you are not a PE, you'll save yourself any grief by calling your self an associate or specialist or something else until you get your PE.

I think Montemayor is giving you bad advice by encouraging you to call yourself an engineer. You have an engineering degree, that's all. Unless he's offering to pay your fine to the state if someone reports you. We can gripe about what do/don't get from the state for the licensing fees we pay, but the bottom line is that, whether you have a PE or not, if you're working in Texas, the TBPE has jurisdiction and can impose fines on you.

Edward L. Klein
Pipe Stress Engineer
Houston, Texas

"All the world is a Spring"

All opinions expressed here are my own and not my company's.