PE licensure without reference knowledge
2

Question

PE licensure without reference knowledge

DistCoop (Electrical)

(OP)

8 Jan 18 03:12

My suspicion is this is not an ethical move, but I was curious what others thought.

I am a PE in one state in the US, working with a consulting firm. I intend to move to another company in another state in the near future. I would like to get licensed in this other state before I send applications to make my resume look that much better, but I don't want my current company to know just yet.

1. If you were to write a letter of recommendation for someone, would it be unethical of them to send that letter to a state that you weren't aware they were applying to?

2. Is there a potential legal problem? Suppose I were to work for a client in this state while at my current company. Another at the company would be the official PE, but I would secretly be licensed there myself.

I appreciate any thoughts. As I mentioned, I kind of think it wouldn't be ethical but am hoping I may be wrong.

jimstructures (Structural) · Answer 1 · 2018-01-08 03:41:40

Rules vary from state to state, so you must check with both states about each states procedure.

1. I think you should tell any person who is writing you a letter of reference, where it is being sent and/or all the places the letter is being used. My understanding is that letters of reference are sent directly from the writer to the Board granting the PE. I could be wrong on how specific states want letters of reference handled.

2. Again local rules may vary so check with the state that has jurisdiction for their local rules. My impression is that if you are NOT the E.O.R. then where you have PE's is immaterial.

Jim

MikeHalloran (Mechanical) · Answer 2 · 2018-01-08 03:54:10

Letters of reference typically begin "To whom it may concern...".
I am failing to see an ethical issue there.

It appears that you haven't even submitted an application yet. It is possible that you are overestimating the demand for your services.

If you are planning to work for two outfits at the same time, with either or both not being aware, I see an ethical issue there. Many companies already have written policies about such stuff, often including the phrase 'immmediate dismissal' or some such. You might make discreet inquiries before putting yourself in such a position.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

DistCoop (Electrical) · Answer 3 · 2018-01-08 04:32:27

I might just clarify... I would only be working for one company at a time. The client I referred to would be a client of my current consulting firm. The letters of recommendation are not for employment at another company, they would be to the state board for PE licensure.

hokie66 (Structural) · Answer 4 · 2018-01-08 08:54:56

I fail to see the point of licensure in a given state without the prospect of using that license. If you change jobs, then is the time to get licensed in the new state or states where you will be working.

controlnovice (Electrical) · Answer 5 · 2018-01-08 13:21:50

I haven't practiced for several years, but there use to be a 'national' registry where you would have to update and maintain your information annually. From this 'national' registry, you would ask them to submit your documents to the new state you are trying to get your PE license.

I'm sure it's not quite that simple, but it's similar. Like I said...it's been at least 20 years for me....I haven't kept up with it.

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TehMightyEngineer (Structural) · Answer 6 · 2018-01-08 15:06:31

This may be one of the few times I'd recommend an NCEES record. You could apply for the record and ask your coworkers for references under the guise of getting the record setup. These recommendations are generic and could be used to apply to pretty much any state license.

Professional Engineer (ME, NH, MA) Structural Engineer (IL)
American Concrete Industries
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConcrete/

zelgar (Civil/Environmental) · Answer 7 · 2018-01-08 17:41:11

I believe it would be unethical to ask for a reference without informing the person the purpose of the reference.

beej67 (Civil/Environmental) · Answer 8 · 2018-01-08 18:41:59

Yeah, NCEES basically does this for you.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com

JStephen (Mechanical) · Answer 9 · 2018-01-10 15:11:41

Yes, go with the NCEES record, avoids the problem. For licensure in the 2nd state, won't make that much difference, for a 3rd or 4 state, it will save a lot of effort.

oldestguy (Geotechnical) · Answer 10 · 2018-01-31 18:24:40

Hiding anything, even not mentioning important facts, will come back and bite you some day.

darthsoilsguy2 (Geotechnical) · Answer 11 · 2018-02-05 18:09:38

NCEES Record. If "Near Future" is 6 months to a year, you realy don't know what you are doing. But any employer worth working for will give you 3-6 months to get it transferred. It's not like you can show up one day and be in responsible charge the next day. There are some places that do that... but that's another question for this forum. BTW when you ask for references, you will probably get questions "Why?".... how you answer that is the ethical question.

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PE licensure without reference knowledge
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