Professional and Career Topics

I'm curious to hear from those who have earned their PE license but are not actively using it to sign and seal design documents in their current role. There's often a strong emphasis early in our careers on obtaining licensure, but less discussion about how it's actually used (or not used) over the long term.

For those in this position:

• What type of role are you currently in?
• Do you still find value in maintaining your PE license?
• Have you seen indirect benefits (credibility, career mobility, compensation, leadership opportunities, etc.) even without stamping plans?

Perspective on this topic could help those earlier in their careers broaden the understanding of what a PE can lead to beyond traditional design responsibilities.

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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Hi Christopher,

  I retired last year with 40 years of service with the federal government - USACE and NOAA.  I earned my Michigan PE while working for the Corps early in my career and then later my Ohio PE by proxy.  I have never stamped a design document during my career as I was in water resources management, not construction and design.  However, having my PE was essential for my career progression from journeyman to senior executive.  USACE expected engineers to have a PE to be promoted to the GS-13 grade and beyond.  Having the licenses (and specific USACE training) qualified me to serve as the Dam and Levee Safety Officer and the Acting Regional Business Director at the GS-15 grade.  At NOAA, it provided credentials for me to reach the Senior Executive Service level, the highest grade in federal government.  The licenses and other accomplishments made it possible for me to achieve senior leadership roles in ASCE and to receive additional certifications and credentials such as Board Certified Water Resources Engineer and ASCE Fellow.  When I began my career (1986), civil engineering was considered non-traditional for women, so I sought my PE license to demonstrate my qualifications to be an engineer.  So when I would receive comments like "you are not a real engineer",  I would say the State of Michigan says I am - where's your PE license?  So I would encourage all engineers to consider gaining their PE license, whether you stamp or not.

Debbie Lee, P.E., P.H., BC.WRE, F.ASCE, ENV SP

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Deborah Lee P.E., P.H., ENV SP, BC.WRE, F.ASCE
Technical Region Society Director
South Lyon MI
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Christopher,

I am a resolute champion of early licensure and while signing and sealing documents may seem like the "active" part of being a PE, I would argue that is one of the smaller aspects of being a PE. 

The indirect benefits that you note are real, but getting licensure is not about getting a larger paycheck.  Obtaining your PE is about showing your commitment to holding the safety, health, and welfare of the public paramount, and to be guided by honesty and integrity (REFs: https://www.asce.org/career-growth/ethics/code-of-ethics , https://www.nspe.org/career-growth/ethics/nspe-code-ethics-engineers , and your state code). If you review those codes, very little of it involves being the engineer of record on projects - it is about being a responsible engineer and an example for, and a partner to, your peers and community.

Please maintain your licensure and your commitment to the profession,

Aaron

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Aaron Barnhart P.E., M.ASCE
Principal
Aurora CO
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I stamped and signed plans very early in my career, but I haven't stamped anything in about 16 years. I work for the State of New Mexico Environment Department. I review work by other professional engineers. The idea being that a professional engineer should review the work of other professional engineers. Also, my position requires that I hold a current PE license; the State pays for my classes and license.

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Steven Deal P.E., M.ASCE
Project Engineer
Las Cruces NM
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I work in government. Not all PE's stamp. Our state statue (MN) mandates a PE for assuring the compliance of specifications relating to construction to protect the public welfare. Without a PE, you can only rise so high in government engineering because you don't have the legal authority to approve or accept work. 

Practice of professional engineering.

 

(a) Any person shall be deemed to be practicing professional engineering within the meaning of sections 326.02 to 326.15 who holds out as being able to perform or who does perform any technical professional service, such as planning, design or observation of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with specifications and design, in connection with any public or private structures, buildings, utilities, machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects wherein the public welfare or the safeguarding of life, health, or property is concerned or involved, when such professional service requires the application of the principles of mathematics and the physical and applied engineering sciences, acquired by education or training, and by experience.

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Christopher DeDene Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Street Maintenance Engineer
City of Saint Paul- Public Works
Saint Paul MN
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I am an academic and maintain my PE license to assist the students and mentor them. I find the value in maintaining it even though I have never signed or sealed a design document ever. Indirect benefit is the satisfaction you get by assisting the students/graduates to take FE and/or become PE license holders. 

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Sunanda Dissanayake, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASCE
(Pronouns: she/her/hers)
Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

and Professor of Civil Engineering
Kennesaw State University

655 Arntson Drive
Room 102, MD 9055
Marietta, GA

p: 470-578-2471
e: sdissan1@...
https://engineering.kennesaw.edu/civil-environmental/about/faculty-staff.php
https://facultyweb.kennesaw.edu/sdissan1/index.php
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunanda-dissanayake-ph-d-p-e-f-asce-199327151/
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I have had my license for 20 years, and have yet to stamp plans or use it for design documentation. The most I've been able to do is put "PE" after my name on emails. I don't even like doing that most of the time because I don't want to cram my "authority" down someone's throat that I'm professionally licensed. I'm a state employee working as a project manager in the rail industry. I'm not ashamed that I have my license. In fact, I am quite proud and will continue to keep it active. I think it's important to have a professional license, especially if I need to change jobs. But in my current role, I don't think having it provides me with any direct or indirect benefits.

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Cameron Harper M.ASCE
Project Manager
Lacey WA
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I'm a Senior Traffic Specialist, now mostly retired, with a regional consulting firm, but I spent most of my career in state government leading reviews of traffic impact studies prepared by consultants working for land developers.

Presently, maintaining my license is mostly about maintaining my professional credibility, although that credibility is much of the basis for my rate of compensation.

Having my license, when I was working full-time, significantly affected my compensation in that I qualified for management and senior technical positions, but more importantly, those positions were where most of the interesting and fulfilling work was.  It is possible to have a fulfilling career in our profession without a license. One of my favorite supervisors managed to have one, but only because he was exceptionally talented at what he did and, with his colleagues, created a position that allowed our agency to use his talents despite that shortcoming. It's also possible to spend one's working life as un-licensed engineer and find fulfillment elsewhere, such as in the arts or a side business.  There are many such people in government.  For most engineers, however, my experience is that licensure is essential to long-term career fulfillment. Whether you use that license to stamp plans is immaterial. 

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Thomas Brockenbrough P.E., M.ASCE
retired
Delaware State Of
Clayton DE
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I obtained my PE in the 1988 while on active duty in the USAF.  Obtaining a PE wasn't required but it showed a level of commitment and expertise to the profession.   After retiring from active duty, the PE opened opportunities that wouldn't have been available without the PE.  The PE was used by private sector when marketing the construction company team to prospective clients.  This employer didn't compensate what I expected a PE should be paid.  As a civil servant employee for the Federal Government, the PE was a prerequisite for employment for the job series.  All members on design and construction contract source selection boards were either PE or Registered Architects.  My duties included reviewing concept designs.  Having the PE preemptively removed any doubts of being unqualified individual's comments.

I recently retired from civil service.  I'm questioning the value of retaining my PE.  I'm continuing the continuing education credits for the time being.

Most definitely the PE provided both direct and indirect benefits. 

---

David Clark, PE, M.ASCE

Program Manager (Retired)

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David Clark P.E., M.ASCE
Senior Health Facilities Engineer
Defense Health Agency
Springfield VA
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After earning my PE license, went off to business school (MBA) and then into the family business in construction (we are natural stone contractors).  For me, maintaining my license has been beneficial as I'm still involved in a related industry.  It allows me to communicate with engineers, architects, contractors, and owners on a better level with credibility and authority.  It has allowed me to sit on technical committees in my industry (like ASTM) which expands my knowledge and our company's profile and opens up another group of industry contacts.  I still do a lot of preliminary, in-house engineering design but don't stamp any plans.  Instead, it is sent out to an engineering firm for full package and stamp.  But by having my license, it does speed up the process of working with the engineering firm on design/constructability issues.  My only regret is I left the engineering practice before getting my SE license.  I would definitely recommend to any young engineers looking at alternative career paths (such as a roll with a general contractor, or going into architectural design, or city planning, etc) to get their PE before moving on. It's a badge of authority that gives your opinions credibility; and credibility opens up lots of new opportunities.  The only downside is you can't plead ignorance!

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Michael Carnevale P.E., M.ASCE
Owner
Carnevale & Lohr, Inc.
Bell Gardens CA
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Did nobody comment on this post?

I've worked for several government engineering agencies (with a temporary job with a consulting firm), passsed the PE exam in 1984 and retired in 2012. I never bought a stamp, even though it's legally required for licensed engineers in this state. As best as I can recall, plans and documents were always stamped by the highest ranking licensed engineer in the organization. I believe that one person stamps all design products produced by the Washington State Department of Transportation statewide. My memory could be faulty or my experience unusual.

I would say that the main reason for getting a license was to demonstate a knowledge of the most important parts of (civil) engineering (most civil engineering employers require licensing for intermediate or higher ranking positions). My Boeing engineer friends never "got licensed" even though they had more education than I.

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Daniel Tamsky P.E., M.ASCE
RETIRED
Yakima WA
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It's true, one might achieve the PE, because everyone takes the test that's gotten to the point.  But I honestly didn't know the difference, and was actually turning my career in another direction, when I found that I did pass the exam.  There is some mobility present when you achieve the feat.  It can be precarious then, there is another level of competition that gets involved.  Some insurance ought to be included with your PE Exam result, I would say, it's like the Climax of a great story.  There can be peril, and there can also be the acceptance of an accolade reached.  It does depend a bit on one's maturity with the new role.  

You do not exactly know what your role is when you receive the PE, as many receive the PE when they are still training in a role.  Getting placed in a position to seal the work of others, can be taunting.  One has to gage the ethical conduct that gets setup immediately with the level of responsibility.  Many will test your sense of responsibility and your knowledge of parameters of entire systems that service the spectrum of the roles that one is to receive.  

What exactly is ethics?  How does it serve my position?  What happens if the others are directing the status quo of the ethical conduct, and you are suddenly facing an issue that you have not knowledge about, yet answers are demanded from every angle.  

If you face the issues as best as you know how, you might still need legal guidelines to weigh your knowledge of the issue against others who are demanding their resolve to be first in the order.

What happens if you are suddenly put in a contract based on your acceptance in a role, and it is something you have never looked at before, yet the lead engineers still say to Seal it.  You can see that it is professional work.  And you can acknowledge the compilation, but your time has been predicated.

Advice I would state is to think ahead in time for a fairly long duration, and start to build the conceptual framework that you believe should exist so that you can stage a course of evaluations and re-evaluations.  Your imagination is a big part of setting the stage for works.  You might be surprised that the Higher Beings have knowledge of your limitations as well as your strengths and weaknesses to bring your imagination to a state of fruition. 

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Currently I am working as a Freelance Engineer, though I am open to work opportunities.

In the overall scheme of things, there is an honor that is attributed to the PE holder.

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Refugio Rochin P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer V
Oakdale CA
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I don't have a PE license, but I find this discussion very important for early-career engineers.

My career moved toward cost engineering and project management in construction and energy projects. In these roles, engineering knowledge is essential, but stamping drawings is not part of daily responsibilities.

From my perspective, the PE license is still very valuable, even for those who may not follow a traditional design path. It represents professional credibility, technical depth, and long-term career flexibility.

Engineering careers today are expanding beyond design into project management, cost engineering, and technology implementation. In this context, a PE can serve as a strong foundation rather than a narrow specialization.

So even from the outside, I see the PE as a worthwhile long-term investment for many engineers.

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Darya Stanskova M.ASCE
Cost Estimator, Construction Engineer, Power Engineer, Project Manager
Fort Myers FL
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I am retired from a civil engineer career at WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation).  While I earned my PE license as soon as possible after college, I never used my stamp at work.  The plans that we worked on were stamped at a higher level within the organization.  But for me obtaining the License provided confidence and also could have been used if I chose to change careers during my working career.  Thanks, Eldon Jacobson, Seattle, WA

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Eldon Jacobson P.E., M.ASCE
RETIRED
Seattle WA
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Hi Christopher,

I spent most of my early career working for general contractors.  I had always intended to get my P.E. license, but construction shifts were ten hour days and a half day on Saturdays back in the home office so there was no time to study.  Eventually I wound up working for a small company and my boss said that I had to get my P.E.  At the time, I had been out of school for 17 years and had never done any design work.  I passed the test the first time.  My next job was with a local municipal government, and the position required a P.E. license.  This was a supervisory position, and I never did direct design work or stamped drawings or reports.  After I got my license, I became more cautious in my comments about design and construction issues as I realized that comments by a professional engineer carried more weight as opposed to either a lay person or a non-license engineer.

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David Bufalo P.E., M.ASCE
Owner
David J. Bufalo, P.E., Consultant
Denver CO
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Out of college I was commissioned into the Navy as a Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer.  CEC officers focus on infrastructure asset management and construction management for the Navy and Marine Corps, very proximate to and working in close collaboration with design engineers but not actually serving as a sealing engineer.  The CEC places very high priority on getting your PE with a hard ceiling on how far you can advance without it.  After leaving the Navy I went to work in the Public Works Department of a large municipality (in a position that required a PE), again focusing on infrastructure asset management and working very closely with design engineers.  I currently do business development for a civil engineering consultant that works primarily on public infrastructure projects.  I was first registered while in the Navy, have maintained my registration all along, and am currently registered in 4 states.  I feel that professional registration is extremely beneficial as a mark of credibility and fulfilling the requirements for keeping current provides a very valuable framework for staying plugged in to innovations and issues that impact the engineering and infrastructure asset management fields.  And, of course, there are many job opportunities that are not available to folks who are not registered, even if the role does not involve design work and the sealing of plans or other technical products.

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Greg Simmons P.E., M.ASCE
Client Services Leader
Bella Vista AR
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