[SBE] defining broadcast engineering education

[Wilson Brown]

John,

The two best pieces of advice I can give:

1. Take a refresher course from a good engineering school. 
2. Do the course homework. If you do, you'll pass. If you don't, you won't.

Some further comments below.
 
Best Regards,
 
Louis Brown, PE, CPBE
(508) 294-5869



----- Original Message ----
From: John Freberg <john at freberg.com>
To: sbe member discussion mail list <sbe at sbe.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:59:15 AM
Subject: Re: [SBE] defining broadcast engineering education

To the PE's on this thread:

I'm interested in pursuing PE certification. Aside from the formal  
requirements, can you shed some light on the practical side of  
attaining the certification?:


-Do you know of accredited BSEE/BSEETprograms that will accommodate a  
working professional?  (I'm not going be a full-time student in a 4- 
year undergraduate program.)

-How does an individual working in private practice satisfy the  
apprenticeship requirements?

Keep careful records and hook yourself up with at least one PE who can later vouch for the experience you claim. Your state board of registration should be able to provide names of PEs in your discipline located near you. My own state lists us all on the state web site.

-What qualifies as relevant experience with respect to satisfying  
certification requirements?


-With respect to experience requirements, is a PE required to vouch  
for the candidate, or are employer references sufficient?

It varies from state to state, but you'll need references from about five or six other engineers. At least some of them should be PE's themselves and it's best if they all are. They don't have to be registered in the state you're applying in, any state will do.

-Are there insurance, legal or liability issues facing un-certified  
broadcast engineering consultants that compel us to get certified?

The whole point behind professional registration boils down to liability. To practice engineering "before the public", one must be registered and one is legally liable for the plans and designs that he or she approves and seals. 

-Can you get certified in a state where the requirements are more  
favorable to your circumstances and still get the associated benefits  
and privileges?

States do grant registration on the basis of "comity" with another state. That is, if the test you took in state A is considered equivalent to the test given in state B, they will usually grant registration. My Massachusetts registration is by comity with California where I took the test. (Most, if not all states use the same NCEES standardized exams now).


-Do you have to be licensed in a particular state to do work in that  
state?

Yes. Although most states will grant a 90-day certificate to practice in that state if you're registered in another state.

-What resources are out there to assist a candidate in the study  
process and preparation for the exams?

There are plenty of study guides, and they're useful, but nothing is as useful as a good refresher course. 

-Does SBE/IEEE/SCTE membership have any benefit regarding the  
certification process?

-Assuming I'm certified in a particular discipline (Electrical  
Engineering), how does this affect other disciplines that I work with  
regularly (like towers, construction, HVAC)?

You're licensed to practice in a single discipline. Electrical will cover the transmitter and other electrical systems, but the tower structure itself would require a civil or mechanical engineer, and maybe both.


I assume I'm not alone in my interest in this. Perhaps this is a  
subject for consideration by the SBE Education Committee.


John Freberg


On Mar 18, 2008, at 5:13 PM, Jeff Carter wrote:

> That's exactly what I encountered and what finally drove me back into

> school.  I've got military and vocational/technical school training,

> but it didn't seem to matter.

>

> Seven years ago, I could get a job pretty much anywhere making $40K

> but that was the ceiling.  I wasn't being considered for anything else

> because I couldn't get past HR, and my experience meant nothing when

> nobody was seeing my resume/application.

>

> So, I lost it and enrolled in college at an ABET-accredited

> engineering technology school.  With my experience level, I can apply

> for and take the PE exam (I can get signed off by other PEs) so I will

> probably do that while the math is still reasonably fresh in my head.

>

> The question after that is "now what?" and which direction to go with

> it.  It's sort of like that thing they do on TV to illustrate the lack

> of a real plan:

>

> 1. Go to school.

> 2. ????

> 3. Profit.

>

> Jeff

>

> ---- Original message ----

>> Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:46:01 EDT

>> From: A9xw at cs.com

>> Subject: Re: [SBE] defining broadcast engineering education

>> To: sbe at sbe.org

>> I went back for a BS in business management. In today's HR driven

>> environment, not having a degree means your resume is not read.  

>> When I got in

>> broadcasting in the 60's, all managers wanted was your FCC license

> and some idea you knew

>> your way around equipment. I have my DeVry certificate from 1966  

>> which was

>> plenty good then and part of it was FCC 1st phone prep (with radar

> endorsement).

>> I think the SBE has done a good job of replacing that with the  

>> certification

>> schedule. But when you walk in with 40 years experience  you likely  

>> got to

>> walk in for the interview because you have a degree in something.

> Being a HSG or

>> GED means nothing in the work world because the quality of HD grads  

>> is so

>> low, many are functionally illiterate but got their "certificate of

> attendance"

>> for being there 6 years.

>>

>> Henry

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