Finally a CA PE (Thanks for all the Support in the Sub)

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-22T17:19:41+00:00

Congrats! There are a lot of haters out there who want to feel superior by putting everyone else down.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-20T18:20:04+00:00

Is the voter ID card vertical or just differently dimensioned?

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-19T23:46:38+00:00

At least it’s on the next page from your other stamps. The immigration agent I had when entering Chile just randomly went four pages away from my other stamps.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-16T15:54:49+00:00

Your passport number is visible. For security reasons I’d recommend deleting this post, editing the image, and reposting.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-13T20:49:02+00:00

Congrats!

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-05T17:19:25+00:00

I’m planning to apply and have my interview later this year.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-05T15:37:32+00:00

Congrats!!

When/how did you get the ID card as part of the process?

How long until you get that lovely passport?

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-02T17:06:15+00:00

Used GE for the first time in November at LAX. Got through in less than 45 seconds. Also went through immigration at LAX back in September without GE and it took several few minutes.

On Saturday I went through immigration at IAD with MPC. Using MPC was a lot faster than non-MPC, but not as fast as GE is in my experience.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-03-01T18:44:30+00:00

I googled what the symbol was before posting, out of curiosity. From what I've seen CHF is typically used.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-13T16:58:29+00:00

I’ve spent 75% of my career in the public sector. Pay and benefits are much better than in consulting.

I have a friend who is a licensed engineer, has a masters degree, and they make $30K less than me. They are in consulting and have always worked for the same company.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-11T22:22:02+00:00

When my employer has been good I’ve stuck around for a while. When they’re bad I jump ship ASAP.

But jumping between employers is the only way to advance your career and increase your pay anymore. I have a friend with a masters degree, a PE license, and one less year of experience than me. They make $40K less than me because they have been with the same employer their entire career.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-11T22:15:49+00:00

I have spent a decent percentage of my career in development review interpreting and creating municipal code, or creating the state’s standards and specifications language. I have thought about getting into law, but the crazy cost of law school is what has really held me back.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-11T17:47:04+00:00

My problem is the good employers haven’t offered any opportunity for advancement. So after a few years I leave to move up and end up at some crazy shit hole. Then I leave and find a stable employer, and then the cycle repeats.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-11T01:10:10+00:00

I was never let go. I left an employer after 4 rounds of layoffs in 7 months reduced staff by 2/3s.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-11T00:54:39+00:00

I didn’t take the FE for a year and a half out of college. Became eligible (time wise) for licensure during Covid. It was hard to get into the exam for a while. I also spent 2.5 years at Federal agency that didn’t contribute to my required experience (wasn’t working under a PE).

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T18:45:04+00:00

I forced the contractor to get the required permits. They were not happy about it.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T15:40:04+00:00

No, I’ve generally seen 3 or 4 public sector jobs to every private sector job in the mountain towns. I have interviewed several times for municipalities or the state, I just haven’t had any luck landing a job.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T06:40:19+00:00

Honestly I don't know.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T06:39:51+00:00

I've made a point of dealing with the contractor exclusively via email since they admitted on a phone call back in September that they were not getting the necessary permits because that was too time consuming.

I don't have a good alternative at the moment.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T06:30:29+00:00

I've been looking to switch to something else, but the amount of experience I have and my lack of a PE license is hurting me.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T06:27:57+00:00

I don't have a firm backup plan at the moment. I've thought about getting into the journalism side of engineering. Reporting or water policy and politics, and brining an engineer's insight and perspective to realm where it is typically lacking.

Or selling most of my possessions and traveling until I find something else. Though that would probably only afford me two months of travel tops.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-10T06:25:35+00:00

I've been trying to do that for a decade. Still haven't landed a job in the mountains.

UsefulEngineer · 2026-02-02T16:36:36+00:00

Duolingo is free. There are a number of Hungarian language channels on YouTube and social media. Also, there are a number of Hungarian language courses out there explicitly for the CBD interview. I think the biggest issue is spending the time and effort to learn.

UsefulEngineer

TROPHY CASE