I’m currently in the process of putting together my paperwork to become a Professional Engineer. There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not the paperwork and hassle are worth it. To me, there’s no debate. Becoming a P.Eng. (or P.E. in the US) has been a major professional goal I’ve had since graduating from engineering school. I think this is a critical step that every engineer with their sites set on leadership should take. Professional engineers are viewed as leaders, they get better career advancement opportunities, they make more money, and they have an easier time getting employment.
You Show Yourself as a Leader
The fact that you’re publicly pursuing some kind of accreditation related to your career marks you as a leader. It’s one of those sad-but-true facts that most people just plain don’t bother with any particular professional development beyond the bare minimum once they’re collecting a pay cheque. When you get those letters after your name, you’re telling your colleagues and your clients that your career matters to you, and that you’re willing to be held to a higher standards. This definitely sets you apart as a leader in your field. You’re making a public commitment to your career. All you have to do is write a test and fill some forms.
Get More Responsibility
A professional designation is an excellent stepping stone towards getting more responsibility at the office. This is good because if you can handle the more complicated and important tasks, you set yourself up nicely to for the next available promotion. I think of earning the P.Eng. as a bit of a press release in a way. It says “Hey everyone! Look how awesome I am!”. And you’ve got the paper to prove it… you dog, you.
Professional Engineers Make More Money
Many organizations, inclusive the one I work for now, reward engineers with a raise when they earn their professional engineering designation. The designation doesn’t have to be a requirement for employment for it to be valued by your employer. Professional engineers can make several thousand dollars more a year than their engineer-in-training counterparts with the same level of experience and responsibility. Again, all you have to do is push paper.
C.Y.A. if You Ever Lose a Job
The truth is that even really, really good engineers lose their jobs sometimes. Companies can fail, that game-changing product can flop, and that sure-thing project can go to a competitor. It happens. My own dad was laid off from a gig he had for 20 years. Having your designation makes you much more marketable to other prospective employers. Beyond that, it gives you a leg up in terms of salary and benefits negotiations when you get to that phase. Beyond that, if you’ve got the entrepreneur gene in your DNA, you could start your own company, which would almost necessitate a having a license.
Moving Forward
I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on my progress throughout the P.Eng. application process. I’ve already written my Professional Practice Exam, and I recently completed my experience requirement. Now I just need to throw the documentation together. Add water, wait 12 to 16 weeks, and presto! I should be a P.Eng. Again, I’ll try and document my progress and share my successes and failures along the way.
What About You?
Are you planning on becoming a professional engineer? Why? Why not? Let me know in the comment section below – I’d really love your feedback.
Great advice Pat
Hello Pat
I am thinking about becoming a professional engineer for all of the same reasons that you mentioned in this post, and to accomplish that I am going to start my engineering degree this September. But deep in my heart, I am an artsy game designer (I enjoy coding, telling stories, and exploring the psychological and social aspect of humanity). Do you think there is any merit in becoming a professional engineer if in the future I want to spend some, if not all, of my time developing video games? I am asking this because I need to dedicate eight years of my life to become a professional engineer in Canada, and I am afraid that going through with this will force me to abandon my dream to design video games.
Hey there!
That’s a fantastic question. My simple answer is this: always start with the end in mind. If you were to write a future version of your resume, what experience would you have? What jobs would you have held? What steps would you need to have taken to get there?
I don’t know anything about game design, but my hunch is that if that’s really what you’d like to do, there may be more direct paths towards that goal. I forget who the original quote comes from, but there’s a saying that goes “Climbing the ladder is a waste of time if your ladder isn’t leaning against the right wall.” If becoming an engineer isn’t going to lead you to becoming what you want to become, what’s the point?
Now, don’t get be wrong, there’s a huge amount to be said for pursuing an education in engineering. You learn a ton of transferable skills that can be applied to many professions. A degree in engineering is a very valuable thing, but it is much more valuable to people who want to become engineers than for those who want to follow a different path.
What I suggest is taking a look at game design job postings and making a list of the experience and requirements they tend to look for at the entry level. If employers are looking for engineering grads, great! If not, you may want to consider a different approach.
Hope this is a help! Best of luck.
Pat