Where can one network with professional engineers?

I am an Atlanta-based software developer who is interested in taking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's registration exam, so that I will be qualified to work on certain aspects of the patent application process. Unfortunately, a Computer Science degree does not meet the requirement to sit for that exam unless you have a very specific set of classes on your transcript, which does not match my case.

The alternative method for qualification is to show a passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, administered at the state-level to college students and recent grads as the first step toward a career in engineering. I have reviewed the NCCE-published material for that exam, and have little doubt that I could pass it on the first attempt (if I could keep my brain going for 8 hours straight!).

The new problem there is with the requirements to take THAT exam in my state. I meet all the requirements, except for having three signatures from licensed (in any state) professional engineers vouching for my character. Unfortunately, I don't even know any licensed PE's in passing. I contacted some old faculty from my undergraduate years, but none of them are licensed PE's. The best they could offer was to write a letter of recommendation, vouching for me to any PE I may meet. I'm still at square one as far as meeting engineers in the first place.

Can anyone suggest any professional groups (IEEE, etc) which hold regular meetings, where I could meet and network with PE's in person? I see that joining IEEE costs about $150, and I would pay that if I HAD to... but they don't seem to meet much in Atlanta anyway, and it somehow feels a little "creepy" to buy a membership and show up for meetings that don't concern me just to solicit a few character witnesses. That really brings me to my central question, how DO I go about this process without looking like a flake or a heel? Does anyone have any suggestions for how I should (or should NOT) be approaching engineers once I do find a suitable venue for meeting them? Thank you very much!

Reply to
Steve
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Have you gotten in touch with the professional engineering association in Georgia? It may be worth your while to discuss your situation with them.

Reply to
operator jay

In my mind, I don't see WHY you feel the need for PE licensure (especially considering your background). About the only place (that I've ever seen) where anyone gives a whit if you're a PE is in civil projects...power plants, commercial and residential construction, etc. It is totally a non-issue for R&D and manufacturing of commercial, medical, and military products. So, why do you feel that you need this? (I think it'd be difficult "cultivating" character witnesses by showing up at a few meetings...I think you'd be talking about AT LEAST a year.)

George

Reply to
george

George,

In my state (California), unless you fall under the industrial exemption, even calling yourself an engineer requires a license. Most of my life, I fell under the industrial exemption anyway. After retiring, I did do a bit of consulting (electrical) and called myself a PE. You also need a PE if you do work considered to be engineering except when there are exemptions. For example, design of wiring for your own single family home, IIRC, is exempt. As an aside, my son bought a home where a previous owner had "upgraded" wiring and locked in a few potential death traps. A PE is always needed if the health and safety of the Public is at stake.

In my case, although I could pass the FE easily, I qualified for the PE exam without meeting that requirement. I did, however, have trouble getting signatures from PE's. I was working in fields that did not have many PE's. The licensing board did accept forms from supervisors and colleagues. Contact the State licensing board to find what substitutions might be acceptable.

Bill

-- Ferme le Bush

Reply to
Salmon Egg

I'm not sure how licensing works in your state, but I'm certainly NOT interested in being a licensed PE (that's my point!). In my state, you must fill out an EIT (engineer in training) application just to sit for the FE exam (that's "F", not "P"). The FE is just the entry level test taken by students and recent college grads as the first step toward PE licensing way down the road (after taking additional tests and earning work experience). I have no interest in any of that whatsoever, I just wanted to take that silly FE exam so I would qualify to take a totally unrelated exam from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

At any rate, I did some careful analysis of my undergraduate transcript yesterday afternoon. I would qualify based on the merits of my transcript if only I had ONE more class in physics. I am thinking it may perhaps make more sense to simply take an easy summer night class at the local junior college, rather than chasing after signatures so I could have the "privilege" of taking an 8-hour FE exam that I would have to spend alot of time studying for anyway.

Reply to
Steve

Thermodynamics is interesting and would probably be suitable for someone headed for Patent work. It is a 'grand-daddy' sort of science and deals with some of the basics, energy, conservation of energy, cycles and efficiencies, etc. A lot of stuff in a lot of varied fields will fall back to considerations rooted in thermodynamics.

j
Reply to
operator jay

Bill,

Thanks for the info...I was an engineer in California for 20 years and NEVER met a PE...of course, I was doing the type of work you specify as qualifying for an industrial exemption. In the whole time I was there, not only did I ever meet a PE, I never met anyone who said they were studying to become one or even anyone who said they wanted (or "should") become one.

Your example on your son's home sounds familiar. When I bought my first home there I found some pretty screwed up wiring that left me amazed that the place hadn't burned to the ground. (It was nice that I found it before purchase so I could have the previous owner pay an electrician to straighten it out...and it was before I closed.)

George

Reply to
george

With all the trouble in the aerospace industry in terms of overruns and not meeting specs, it would be to the advantage of the country to require proposals being signed off by PE's. There should be no allowance for an industrial exemption on proposals. PE's you who lie in the proposals would be guilty of malpractice and not be allowed to work in the industry again. When one's personal reputation is on the line, there would be less puffery.

Bill

-- Ferme le Bush

Reply to
Salmon Egg

IF the exam has changed from when I graduated (last time I saw content info as I was considering the EIT portion back then), it could have merit. But, back then, it was virtually all power systems stuff with a very small amount of analog circuits, nothing on digital circuits, modulation techniques, or any sort of software or firmware. Of course the reason for cost overruns in aerospace (and all defense-related) doesn't have anything to do with incompetence, but instead with the culture the government cultivated with its "cost plus 10%" allowance in pricing...of course, 10% of a BIG number is much better than 10% of a little number (the 10% is the company's allowable profit).

George

Reply to
george

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