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Who Does Better on the PE Exam; The Generalist or the Specialist?
How your experience affects your PE Exam
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One of the first questions asked in preparing for the PE Exam, is how much should you do to prepare for the exam? Well, we find out in this episode that often the answer to that question depends on your work experience the preceding four years before you take the exam. In this episode we discuss how experience can effect how much you study for the PE Exam. Jim Monroe was on the line again, but this time and shared his view about whether it is better having broad experience or specialty experience as it relates to the PE Exam. We also discuss how much you will need to prepare for the PE exam, and how to adjust your preparation based on your experience.
As you will find out in the podcast we agree that the person with a more specialty has not seen much of the material over a four year period, while the generalist has. As such, the generalist will not need as heavy of a review as the specialist. The interesting thing is that to be a generalist you usually have to work for a small company or a relatively small division in the public works sector. These jobs do not always pay as much as the big boys do, but perhaps it will be worth it in the end if you get your PE as a result of working for a smaller company?
Professional Development Advice: Getting a PMP Certification.
In the professional development and career portion of the episode, we discuss the PMP exam. In particular, we discuss how the PMP certification is becoming an inevitability of the engineering field for those that want to become a project manager. Whether you like it or not, many companies are beginning to require that you have this certification. Think we are blowing smoke? Companies like Intel already require it for project managers. That means we are next. So after you get that PE license, it may be time to get you PMP license as well. My friend Cornelius has a helpful podcast on Project Management that you will want to subscribe to as well.
Thanks again to Jim Monroe for coming in to provide some tips about the PE Exam. Jim is a Professional Engineer and also an instructor for the Civil PE Exam over at CivilPEReview.com. You can sign up for his class (either the online or on the ground version) as a way to prepare for your PE Exam.
What do you think?
Do you think it is better to be a generalist or specialist as it relates to preparing for the PE Exam?
Also, what do you think of the PMP certification? Do you think it is necessary for project managers in the engineering field.
About Andy RichardsonAndy Richardson, PE has been a Professional Engineer for over 14 years, and currently practice engineering at my business in South Carolina. I created this site in 2009 to help others realize the dream of obtaining their PE License as well. Please let me know if there is any specific information you need to 'Ace' The PE Exam. For more, check the about page.
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