Questions on becoming a Piping Engineer

[JoeBobJenkins]

So I want to be a piping engineer. Problem is my career has been in almost anything but, meaning I'm worth a lot in a small sector but my skills aren't demanding of such a salary in the Piping field. I've been able to scratch the surface the past 6 years or so and I find piping really interesting. So I've been thinking about a few avenues and would appreciate anyone in the field's 2 cents.

I've been seeking a designer role (I have done a lot of design work, just limited in the piping world) that I can do part time to get my foot in the door without taking a pay cut and not being able to afford the mortgage. However the places I've talked to really don't care for that arrangement.

I first thought about getting a PE, however my expectation is that might backfire as I don't really have any in depth experience to be able to sign off on papers. How would the industry view this if I'm still cuttin teeth?

I've found SPED, the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers. They have classes and certifications for 1500 bucks. I have no idea if it's worth it to pursue. That's a big chunk of change that looks great on paper but could be a scam.

Any other ideas would be very helpful.

 

[EngrPaper]

The "without taking a pay cut" part is hard to help with if we don't know the ball park you are looking for. I would think an entry level designer would be a significant pay cut compared to an entry level engineer.

What skills do you have that relate into the piping world? If none, you are probably looking at entry level.

 

[Doug Hunter]

I think that the key will be finding a way to gain piping design experience while working in a more diversified role that uses your established skills. You can also try networking with piping design folks to try to find opportunities. Perhaps find a local trade show where these potential employers are attending, or get into a piping design group on LinkedIn. Seeking classes and certifications could also help.

 

[JoeBobJenkins]

So I've been in the shipbuilding world, doing a lot of structures work. At the same time I love doing design work so I got fairly good with IV and Femap. Got a little into the Aux world (shipboard hvac, piping, etc.) but largely as a designer/ spec review. I took another job that was heavy on the design aspect and I occasionally got to tackle a comp air system, do some manifold designs, etc. but couldn't quite get deeper in the weeds of the engineering. If you're good w/ the design you wind up taking the job of 2-3 designers and don't get to cut teeth on the engineering (at least where I'm at). I kind of accidentally dug a hole for myself. I've worked w/ PIDs and done some layouts, etc so I'm not coming in entirely green. But I'm nowhere near a senior engineer.

That said, I fully understand the problem w/ going back to entry level from the company's perspective. So I I'm searching for ways to get more valuable or up to speed on my own. I've been trying to get into the Piping engineering at my current job but have some of the same hurdles, I get paid too much for them to let me in on the ground floor so they want me back at the design engineer role (I do FEA, small crane designs, platform setups, etc).

One way that looked good was the SPED certification and training. But again, really expensive. If we were talking 2-300 I could swing it but I don't know how valuable the training is to drop 1.5 gs. So far when I look around I haven't found anything that asks for or acknowledges SPED.

 

[JoeBobJenkins]

I think that the key will be finding a way to gain piping design experience while working in a more diversified role that uses your established skills. You can also try networking with piping design folks to try to find opportunities. Perhaps find a local trade show where these potential employers are attending, or get into a piping design group on LinkedIn. Seeking classes and certifications could also help.

Thanks. I'm starting in on the design societies. There's a lot more than I expected. I've got a couple of coals in the fire w/ my job but they're largely maybe, if we win the contract. Just looking for avenues that people in the field would suggest so I can steer in a more fruitful direction rather than stabbing in the dark.