Professional Engineer Continuing Education

Not all the benefits for a professional engineer continuing education are readily apparent. Learn why you should pursue a higher degree in the field.

Engineering has been one of the most popular majors for years. The industry is booming with jobs and opportunities.

But with so many people interested in the engineering field, how do you stand out among the crowd? How do you get the job you want?

The answer lies in Professional Engineer continuing education courses.

Most states require a certain number of continuing education credits to maintain a license. So if you are already required to complete some courses, you may as well use that to better your position and marketability.

While there are a ton of benefits to continuing education credits for professional engineers, let’s focus on four big benefits.

Professional Engineer Continuing Education

Actually, before we get into the benefits of continuing education let’s talk about what is continuing education for an engineer.

The route to becoming a Professional Engineer is an intense one. It requires some type of four-year college degree in a related field, then four years of being mentored by a Professional Engineer, and then finally two difficult exams.

Professional Engineers (PEs) go through this rigorous process in order to ensure public safety and prove competency.

In order to keep this PE standing, the engineer is required to complete ongoing education to keep their skills sharp and up to date. This is required by law, with exact requirements varying by state.

These courses can be done in a variety of ways; attending conferences, presenting research, taking in-person classes. But a popular option is to take online webinar courses since they can be done at your convenience and usually a more economical choice.

Now that we’ve established what exactly Professional Engineer continuing education is, onto the benefits.

1. Stay Current with Evolving Technology

The work that engineers do is critical to our society’s daily life. Everything we do has been touched by an engineer; the buildings we work in, the roads we drive on, the infrastructure around us.

This gives Professional Engineers a great responsibility to stay up to date with new technologies and techniques.

In every profession there is always research and improvements being made. But there is no way to circulate that information to everyone seamlessly.

This is why continuing education courses are critical to the industry. It keeps standards high and the industry moving forward.

Through these courses, a Professional Engineer will be able to learn from industry leaders with years of experience. They will be able to get new perspectives and ideas that may improve their service.

Webinars also give Professional Engineers the opportunity to interact with other industry leaders, which can be an invaluable tool as well.

2. Higher Income

If a Professional Engineer uses their required continuing education credits to their advantage, they may be able to earn a higher income.

Like most professions, the higher the educational degree or professional training the higher the payment required.

Once the engineer has received formal training from a university, they can continue to raise their education level by choosing advanced courses for their required hours.

Many Professional Engineers use their continuing education courses to work towards more specialized knowledge. They hone in on one area of the industry and learn all they can about it in order to become an expert.

An expert who can prove that they have the knowledge and training to back that up is much more valuable to a company, which is why they are paid more.

3. Legitimizes Knowledge

Technically, all it takes to be an engineer is a four-year college degree. But the extra steps it takes to become a Professional Engineer change the course of a career drastically.

When an engineer becomes a Professional Engineer, they are then permitted to practice the full scope of engineering. This means they are the ones who sign off on all engineering projects before sent out to the public authority, they are responsible for its success and safety.

This Professional Engineer title shows everyone that the engineer knows what they are talking about. They’ve put in the work to become trained correctly and have demonstrated an understanding and can apply the things they have learned.

It is important to keep that Professional Engineer license current and up to date to be able to deliver the best products.

This is done by completing Professional Engineer continuing education courses. A certificate of completion is given and can be used to show potential clients or employers of those training.

4. Valuable Industry Interactions

As was mentioned earlier, continuing education courses can be a great chance to interact with others inside the industry.

The best kind of learning happens when we get to step outside of our usual situation and see things from a different perspective. Continuing education courses taught by people who are not your colleagues give you just that opportunity.

Our instructors come from all over, have many years of experience, and have put in the time and effort to become real experts. They are trained in a variety of specialties that span the entire industry.

There is someone for everyone to learn from.

It is not easy to gain access to so many industry leaders, so being able to engage and ask questions with the instructors is a valuable tool for engineers.

Beyond the instructors, it can be very helpful and insightful for Professional Engineers to learn from and hear from their peers who are also taking the courses.

All of the perspectives combined create a well-rounded Professional Engineer.

Find the Class for You

Now that it’s clear the benefit of Professional Engineer continuing education courses, it is time to pick the right ones for you.

The best courses are the ones that will add value to your practice now. They deepen your understanding, bring in new ideas, and generate expertise. Our library of courses is full of options that meet all of these criteria.

Take a look at our options and sign up for a class today!