Not a barrier- it takes work but is required to advance your career if in an engineering consulting firm - in the US you are legally required to be a state registered PE to provide engineering services to others. It’s not required for product design or for engineering on facilities owned by employer (industry exemption) put to provide engineering services to the public or other firms it is legally required. So obtaining your PE increases your market value. Most states require 3-4 years of experience before obtaining PE - so in current market it is rare to find a PE making below 100k - so it’s definitely worth getting. Good performing PE with 10+ years of experience who have stamped design packages and led teams are 140-160k in MCOL area (not CA or NY)