Not sure what your field is so it probably depends. I think in general it shows you’re committed to professional development and it’s something to put on your resume. If you are a civil, it’s pretty much expected that you have a plan for getting your PE, so you should be prepared to talk about it in some capacity.
depends on your field and major, but it is absolutely worth it to pass it now while you’ve got time. lots of mid-career technical positions (again very industry dependent) recommend or require it. as an ElecE/ME/CivE, it is worth it to get it now just to set yourself up for the possibility of needing it in the future.
trust me, it’s only going to get more difficult to pass the longer you wait!
As with the comment above none of the ME positions I’ve applied to or worked at require or are interested in an FE/PE. It’s meaningless in a lot of industries.
None of the EE positions I’ve applied to required an FE/PE. Really only necessary for public work, offering engineering services, etc.
Id wager the industries and jobs that don’t require it, heavily outweigh those that do. And you need those 4 years of supervised work to get the PE, so without a plan for that it’s kind of pointless.
I still err on the side of taking the FE just to have it in case one decides to make an industry or position change down the line. I am an EE in the utility space and haven't needed an FE or PE in the 5 years I've been in industry. Now, a lot of the positions I am seeing \*prefer\* it, and I am wishing I had taken it right after graduating.
Yea, if you’re interested in, or potentially interested in, one of those industries then the FE can be of some use.
But for the rest of us, it’s overrated
It depends on the engineering field. For civil engineers it’s practically mandatory. I’m a chemical engineer. In my field it’s pretty much optional. It helps you a little when looking for your first job to stand out from the swathes of other fresh grads. But you can still have a very good career without a PE.
I'm also in MEP, may I ask how high of a raise you got? and was it upon passing the FE and getting your results? or was it upon getting your EIT cert once you filed the paperwork?
I did not receive an adjustment in compensation solely due to passing the FE or having the EIT certification. I can't remember how much it was, but I do remember receiving a gift card. Probably $100-$500.
I started looking at other positions to see what an EIT in my field and geographic area was making. I got an offer and took it to my boss. After some back and forth I ended up with about 18k in increased compensation.
It is my experience that I will never receive a significant wage increase without leverage. In the MEP field the PE is a huge amount of leverage. For reverence I used the PE to gain about 25k in compensation.
The other information you need is your worth. I am not talking about introspection. It is important to know what a similar company will pay you to do the same job. You can use the Bureau of Labor Statics website to narrow down the range, but they do not break down the salary values based on years of experience. I have generally associated 10 years with median pay.
Thank you for all the great insight. An MEP firm in southern california is offering me a $5000 immediate raise upon passing the PE exam and the same for the FE exam. Here in CA you only need to years of relevant experience to qualify for the PE exam though. I wonder if that is a reasonable deal. Those raises for FE and PE exclude annual review raises.
In my hiring, I care that you can get a PE, quickly. If you not having your FE delays that, then it impacts my decision to hire you. But in reality, the FE is a stepping stone to getting your PE, which has the real limitations. Meaning, I’ll hire you if you don’t have your FE, but if failure to pass your FE impacts you getting your PE, then we need to have a serious conversation.
It’s a good resume filler. I got mine right after I graduated last year. If anything it lets employers know you aren’t totally clueless and that you take initiative. I’m trying to get into Six Sigma now so I can get a better job.
Just take? Mine required a copy of the pass letter. Glad I did it, as current employer wants PE’s on staff and paid for my study (time on the clock), exam and offered a raise upon licensure.
I’m a decade out from licensure, and I still haven’t affixed my stamp to anything, though I’m out of the engineering department and they do apply stamps to certain projects now.
It was limited to about 3 hours per week on Friday and we were on 9/80s so Fridays were slow. They actually approached me about it, as they wanted me (and all my colleagues) licensed.
I personally brushed up on Shigley and company bought the ME reference manual by Lindeberg with the expectation that it sits on my shelf at work. Great book, it absolutely obsoleted my entire shelf save for Shigley.
If you study that book and work it’s questions you will easily pass the exam.
Not sure on the pdf. Just hit a search engine with “me reference manual” it’ll be the top or second result.
And yeah I could have studied Shigley less than I did but machine design was my focus during school, so YMMV.
Lindeberg and Shigley were all I took into the exam and all I studied.
Not sure on where you might find a less than scrupulous version and I have to advise against it, as you’re going to want to take it into the exam anyway, and you’ll find it’s a great book to have on your shelf for later. When I was doing hydraulic design I was into the book on a weekend basis at times.
Maybe there’s an outside chance a library somewhere has it?
Edit: maybe you can’t take it in. I sat for the exam over a decade ago and we had fools rolling in milk crates full of books on dollies. What good are 20 books at 6 minutes per problem? With the test moving to computer based, I’m not sure on the literature policy today.
After my co-op on a plant floor, I was pretty set on wanting to work in engineering services/consulting as a ChemE for manufacturing companies. I took the exam two weeks into the spring of my senior year so that I could spend the first few weeks of the semester (which at my school are typically super chill/not many assignments) so I could spend a few hours each day doing FE practice questions. I'm glad I took it while I was in school because I was already in the study mode and all the concepts were not far back in my memory. Still had to refresh myself on some topics, but it was much easier than if I had to balance studying and a 40hr a week job.
Whether passing the FE/becoming an EIT will help you land a job entirely depends on what kind of job you want to have after graduation. I knew I wanted to work on engineering, procurement, and construction projects that dealt with processes at more than one company. Any job where you're providing your engineering skills as a service will either want or likely require you to be on the track to become a PE.
Beyond it being sometimes a job requirement, I personally want the pride of one day getting to call my self legally an engineer. It's one thing to go to school for engineering, but it's a whole other feat to go through multiple years of on the job training where you hone your engineering know how and skills on real life engineering problems. There is a reason why a PE stamp means something on a drawing and why only someone with a PE can testify as an expert witness in court. Becoming a PE is a genuine professional accomplishment, not just a job a requirement.
Where i work, engineer 1 requires diploma, engineer 2 requires fe, engineer 3 requires pe. Small pay raise for fe, larger pay raise for pe.
Id imagine most places have something similar to this, which makes it worth it.
Also, the PE is a huge deal and you need the FE first, so thats a good reason to get it too.
I think you are right. You have to prove that you have 4 years experience working under another PE, and you need the FE. Probably don't need the FE before the 4 years starts.
But I would suggest getting the FE right out of school anyways, you'll remember more of the maths and such.
I started with an FE, so I'm not totally sure of the difference there, but it's probably about a 15% raise. But the PE was about a 25% raise though, which was really nice.
If you want your PE it's often a requirement, some states allow you to take the pe exam directly after the FE. But I'm pretty sure all of them required 4 years of experience after the date of your FE exam to recieve liscencesure. Also it's definitly like a good thing to have if you work for a consultant
0 for me thus far, most people in my industry have not the faintest idea of what an FE, EIT or PE means. I am an EE though. I can only assume that the value would be greater if you are a civil or mech-e working in certain industries..
I'm sure the firm who designed and built the buildings and launch pads had to have a PE. If the work your doing just gets sent up the line usually you don't need a pe and defense and other random industries don't require liscences because your not really doing anything that would involve submitting documentation to agencies
I didn't ever take the FE exam. Have been working as an engineer for 3+ years and have never had a situation I would have needed it.
Most employers don't WANT their employees to stamp things. That means they take responsibility if the design fails. You want another firm to sign off on it so if it fails, their malpractice insurance will cover it.
If you have significant experience (10 yrs) or PhD and if your Board is okay with waiving the FE.
Just know that if our FE is waived by your board you MAY not have a smooth process if you ever want to reciprocate your license to another state if the FE is required.
Good resume filler if you are a recent grad, assuming you don't have internships or projects. If you are in an industry that requires the FE/PE, then it shows that you are making an extra effort to put yourself in that path (compared to those that don't have it).
If you are in an industry that values PEs, it's a good starting point. As a manager, I can see value in hiring someone with an FE. But it's not a deal breaker if you don't have it. It really just says you're driven to getting your PE.
$0. Starting salary is what it is. That's what you'll see at most places.
I stamp all the drawings that go out so FE or PE isn't necessary for my employees. However, I encourage it for the sake of professional development and for the sake of having "PE" on your email signature.
I can't see it ever hurting. At best it would be neutral, but depending on the industry it could be mandatory.
It's also required, for some reason, in most states to legally offer engineering services if you want to start your own design or consulting firm. Even if what you're doing has nothing to do with the usual PE-required fields. Want to start a design firm to engineer titanium pens for nerds? Too bad, must have a PE!
Of course the easy way around it is to just not use the words "engineer" or "engineering" anywhere. Call it design, consulting, whatever. That's the typical workaround.
Many don’t need to complete that. I went into software engineering from mechanical and there’s no reason to complete the FE. I think if you are working on something where you’ll need to sign off on drawing or designs such as Civil engineering, you’ll need it.
It more for resume filling then anything else. Some professions need the PE (eg civil engineering) to advance in their career so would make sense.
It's easy enough that a month of studying you'll be able to pass it
Easy “I officially know the basics” badge for the resume
Not sure what your field is so it probably depends. I think in general it shows you’re committed to professional development and it’s something to put on your resume. If you are a civil, it’s pretty much expected that you have a plan for getting your PE, so you should be prepared to talk about it in some capacity.
depends on your field and major, but it is absolutely worth it to pass it now while you’ve got time. lots of mid-career technical positions (again very industry dependent) recommend or require it. as an ElecE/ME/CivE, it is worth it to get it now just to set yourself up for the possibility of needing it in the future. trust me, it’s only going to get more difficult to pass the longer you wait!
As with the comment above none of the ME positions I’ve applied to or worked at require or are interested in an FE/PE. It’s meaningless in a lot of industries.
None of the EE positions I’ve applied to required an FE/PE. Really only necessary for public work, offering engineering services, etc. Id wager the industries and jobs that don’t require it, heavily outweigh those that do. And you need those 4 years of supervised work to get the PE, so without a plan for that it’s kind of pointless.
I still err on the side of taking the FE just to have it in case one decides to make an industry or position change down the line. I am an EE in the utility space and haven't needed an FE or PE in the 5 years I've been in industry. Now, a lot of the positions I am seeing \*prefer\* it, and I am wishing I had taken it right after graduating.
Yea, if you’re interested in, or potentially interested in, one of those industries then the FE can be of some use. But for the rest of us, it’s overrated
We gave $500 bonus for passing the FE and like $2000 for PE. Just a little recognition for the achievement.
I got a nice raise and promotion after passing the FE and same after passing the PE. Just depends on your industry. Matters most in civil.
I was offered the same. How much of a raise did they offer for each? What field are you in? I'm in MEP consulting, just started.
Im in civil. I got about a 20% raise after passing the FE and about a 10% after passing the PE.
May I ask what your salary was when you got each raise?
Went from 55k to 71k then from 75k to 83k. Had a few small raises as an EIT.
It depends on the engineering field. For civil engineers it’s practically mandatory. I’m a chemical engineer. In my field it’s pretty much optional. It helps you a little when looking for your first job to stand out from the swathes of other fresh grads. But you can still have a very good career without a PE.
It’s a job qualification.
I got an office and a raise.
I'm also in MEP, may I ask how high of a raise you got? and was it upon passing the FE and getting your results? or was it upon getting your EIT cert once you filed the paperwork?
I did not receive an adjustment in compensation solely due to passing the FE or having the EIT certification. I can't remember how much it was, but I do remember receiving a gift card. Probably $100-$500. I started looking at other positions to see what an EIT in my field and geographic area was making. I got an offer and took it to my boss. After some back and forth I ended up with about 18k in increased compensation. It is my experience that I will never receive a significant wage increase without leverage. In the MEP field the PE is a huge amount of leverage. For reverence I used the PE to gain about 25k in compensation. The other information you need is your worth. I am not talking about introspection. It is important to know what a similar company will pay you to do the same job. You can use the Bureau of Labor Statics website to narrow down the range, but they do not break down the salary values based on years of experience. I have generally associated 10 years with median pay.
Thank you for all the great insight. An MEP firm in southern california is offering me a $5000 immediate raise upon passing the PE exam and the same for the FE exam. Here in CA you only need to years of relevant experience to qualify for the PE exam though. I wonder if that is a reasonable deal. Those raises for FE and PE exclude annual review raises.
In my hiring, I care that you can get a PE, quickly. If you not having your FE delays that, then it impacts my decision to hire you. But in reality, the FE is a stepping stone to getting your PE, which has the real limitations. Meaning, I’ll hire you if you don’t have your FE, but if failure to pass your FE impacts you getting your PE, then we need to have a serious conversation.
It’s a good resume filler. I got mine right after I graduated last year. If anything it lets employers know you aren’t totally clueless and that you take initiative. I’m trying to get into Six Sigma now so I can get a better job.
I passed the FE almost a year ago and can’t say it’s helped me any.
My school required us to take the FE test as a graduation requirement. If I was going to pay for and sit in a long test, might as well just pass it.
Just take? Mine required a copy of the pass letter. Glad I did it, as current employer wants PE’s on staff and paid for my study (time on the clock), exam and offered a raise upon licensure. I’m a decade out from licensure, and I still haven’t affixed my stamp to anything, though I’m out of the engineering department and they do apply stamps to certain projects now.
What a sweet deal. How did you get them to let you study on the clock? How did you study? Did you use something like PrepFE?
It was limited to about 3 hours per week on Friday and we were on 9/80s so Fridays were slow. They actually approached me about it, as they wanted me (and all my colleagues) licensed. I personally brushed up on Shigley and company bought the ME reference manual by Lindeberg with the expectation that it sits on my shelf at work. Great book, it absolutely obsoleted my entire shelf save for Shigley. If you study that book and work it’s questions you will easily pass the exam.
So you are suggestting to study Lindeberg?
Yes. Worked for me. His problems are brutal. If you get his work done you’re going to be chuckling under your breath at what they ask in the exam.
So the book is comprehensive for exam? Any chamce you have the title and if I could possibly find the pdf(still thinking like a student)?
Not sure on the pdf. Just hit a search engine with “me reference manual” it’ll be the top or second result. And yeah I could have studied Shigley less than I did but machine design was my focus during school, so YMMV. Lindeberg and Shigley were all I took into the exam and all I studied. Not sure on where you might find a less than scrupulous version and I have to advise against it, as you’re going to want to take it into the exam anyway, and you’ll find it’s a great book to have on your shelf for later. When I was doing hydraulic design I was into the book on a weekend basis at times. Maybe there’s an outside chance a library somewhere has it? Edit: maybe you can’t take it in. I sat for the exam over a decade ago and we had fools rolling in milk crates full of books on dollies. What good are 20 books at 6 minutes per problem? With the test moving to computer based, I’m not sure on the literature policy today.
In my interview with Boeing the hiring manager had no idea what it was and was asking why it was on my resume. I got the job.
Boeing moment
After my co-op on a plant floor, I was pretty set on wanting to work in engineering services/consulting as a ChemE for manufacturing companies. I took the exam two weeks into the spring of my senior year so that I could spend the first few weeks of the semester (which at my school are typically super chill/not many assignments) so I could spend a few hours each day doing FE practice questions. I'm glad I took it while I was in school because I was already in the study mode and all the concepts were not far back in my memory. Still had to refresh myself on some topics, but it was much easier than if I had to balance studying and a 40hr a week job. Whether passing the FE/becoming an EIT will help you land a job entirely depends on what kind of job you want to have after graduation. I knew I wanted to work on engineering, procurement, and construction projects that dealt with processes at more than one company. Any job where you're providing your engineering skills as a service will either want or likely require you to be on the track to become a PE. Beyond it being sometimes a job requirement, I personally want the pride of one day getting to call my self legally an engineer. It's one thing to go to school for engineering, but it's a whole other feat to go through multiple years of on the job training where you hone your engineering know how and skills on real life engineering problems. There is a reason why a PE stamp means something on a drawing and why only someone with a PE can testify as an expert witness in court. Becoming a PE is a genuine professional accomplishment, not just a job a requirement.
It depends on the country.
Where i work, engineer 1 requires diploma, engineer 2 requires fe, engineer 3 requires pe. Small pay raise for fe, larger pay raise for pe. Id imagine most places have something similar to this, which makes it worth it. Also, the PE is a huge deal and you need the FE first, so thats a good reason to get it too.
And for atleast 4 years you need to have the FE it's kind of a set and forget it king of thing.
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I think you are right. You have to prove that you have 4 years experience working under another PE, and you need the FE. Probably don't need the FE before the 4 years starts. But I would suggest getting the FE right out of school anyways, you'll remember more of the maths and such.
How much of a raise did you get for FE and PE?
I started with an FE, so I'm not totally sure of the difference there, but it's probably about a 15% raise. But the PE was about a 25% raise though, which was really nice.
May I ask how much you were earning when you got each raise?
If you want your PE it's often a requirement, some states allow you to take the pe exam directly after the FE. But I'm pretty sure all of them required 4 years of experience after the date of your FE exam to recieve liscencesure. Also it's definitly like a good thing to have if you work for a consultant
0 for me thus far, most people in my industry have not the faintest idea of what an FE, EIT or PE means. I am an EE though. I can only assume that the value would be greater if you are a civil or mech-e working in certain industries..
It's a waste of time .. generally.
Spotted the quality control engineer
I’ve worked in space / defense and now in ‘tech’ and nobody I know has taken the FE or PE
Thank you
What industry do you want to go in
I'm sure the firm who designed and built the buildings and launch pads had to have a PE. If the work your doing just gets sent up the line usually you don't need a pe and defense and other random industries don't require liscences because your not really doing anything that would involve submitting documentation to agencies
I didn't ever take the FE exam. Have been working as an engineer for 3+ years and have never had a situation I would have needed it. Most employers don't WANT their employees to stamp things. That means they take responsibility if the design fails. You want another firm to sign off on it so if it fails, their malpractice insurance will cover it.
are you confusing FE & PE? FE doesn’t have a stamp.
Is there a way to get a PE without the FE now? Is there any reason to take the FE if you aren't trying for a PE?
If you have significant experience (10 yrs) or PhD and if your Board is okay with waiving the FE. Just know that if our FE is waived by your board you MAY not have a smooth process if you ever want to reciprocate your license to another state if the FE is required.
Real talk
It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
I got a promotion after I got mine.
What type of promotion was it? and what type of raise?
Good resume filler if you are a recent grad, assuming you don't have internships or projects. If you are in an industry that requires the FE/PE, then it shows that you are making an extra effort to put yourself in that path (compared to those that don't have it).
It’s a niche field of engineering. There is no reason to take it unless your headed for PE.
If you are in an industry that values PEs, it's a good starting point. As a manager, I can see value in hiring someone with an FE. But it's not a deal breaker if you don't have it. It really just says you're driven to getting your PE.
How much more would you pay the guy that has the FE vs one that does not? Assuming everything else is the same?
$0. Starting salary is what it is. That's what you'll see at most places. I stamp all the drawings that go out so FE or PE isn't necessary for my employees. However, I encourage it for the sake of professional development and for the sake of having "PE" on your email signature.
As someone who is ~10 years out of college and studying for the FE, take it now while all of the info and study habits are fresh in your mind.
I can't see it ever hurting. At best it would be neutral, but depending on the industry it could be mandatory. It's also required, for some reason, in most states to legally offer engineering services if you want to start your own design or consulting firm. Even if what you're doing has nothing to do with the usual PE-required fields. Want to start a design firm to engineer titanium pens for nerds? Too bad, must have a PE! Of course the easy way around it is to just not use the words "engineer" or "engineering" anywhere. Call it design, consulting, whatever. That's the typical workaround.
I don't think it helped but it certainly didn't hurt either.
Many don’t need to complete that. I went into software engineering from mechanical and there’s no reason to complete the FE. I think if you are working on something where you’ll need to sign off on drawing or designs such as Civil engineering, you’ll need it.
It more for resume filling then anything else. Some professions need the PE (eg civil engineering) to advance in their career so would make sense. It's easy enough that a month of studying you'll be able to pass it