re: Spinoff: engineers vs. PE's

I know a few PE's that make me wonder how the hell they got licensed

quote:

---

As a registered PE, I don't really care who calls themselves an engineer. Anyone who is going to pay my salary or consulting fees know the difference.

On that note, the PE designation is not an indicator of excellence - just competence and the motivation to jump through hoops and get licensed.

---

Right on.

Within the exploration and production side of oil and gas, there is not the premium on the PE license that there is in something like civil, so most folks that get it are doing it strictly out of pride. i know that for both my wife and i, it was a long range goal we set for ourselves that was nice to achieve. There are exceptions such as consultants that verify reserves numbers or individuals certifying well designs in the gulf of mexico.

titles like "mud engineer" don't really bother me, since they're standard titles and and everyone across the industry understands what the expectations are of that individual and position. I have run across multiple individuals in my career that misrepresented their degree in order justify an engineering title, such as listing an environmental sciences degree as environmental engineering. that's pretty annoying, since your degree is really not open to interpretation.

Full disclosure: Bayou Tiger, my wife, and I all worked together at the same company at one point and all took/passed the PE exam at roughly the same time.