This is part of my FE exam series, where I cover what it is, whether you should take it, and how to study for it. Today we're talking about whether you should take it.
If you're interested in any of these four fields, I highly recommend taking the FE exam.
1. Civil and environmental engineering
If you want to do anything in civil or environmental engineering, like structural, transportation, geotechnical, or water resources, take the FE exam. A professional license is extremely valuable in civil engineering. It will move your career further and help you make more money down the line.
2. Power and utilities
If you're interested in transmission, distribution, substations, or protection and controls, I'd strongly consider taking the FE exam. It opens up a lot more career and growth opportunities, especially in consulting, design, and certain technical leadership roles.
I'm a PE in Electrical: Power, and I can tell you it has made a real difference in my own utility career.
3. MEP engineering
MEP stands for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. These engineers design the systems that make buildings work, like hospitals, schools, and office buildings. Someone has to design the HVAC, the electrical distribution, the lighting, the plumbing, and the fire protection systems.
A lot of this work involves designs that need to be reviewed, approved, and sometimes sealed by a PE. So having your license can be extremely valuable.
4. Forensic engineering
A lot of students don't know much about this field. Forensic engineers are basically engineering detectives. Their job is to investigate why things fail.
Say a bridge collapses, a building has structural damage, or there's a fire. A forensic engineer might be brought in to figure out what happened and find the root cause. Those findings are sometimes used in insurance claims, lawsuits, and other legal cases.
Because of that, having your PE license is extremely valuable, especially if you're giving professional engineering opinions or serving as an expert witness.
You don't need it, but it helps
You don't need your FE or PE to work in any of these industries. But it's highly desirable, and it opens up a lot more career opportunities.
Ready to start? Read my FE exam guide for when to take it, how to study, and the review books I recommend.