Pr. Eng - is it worth it?

[Voicy]

Archer go for it, but ask your company to cover it.

My candidacy fees were renewed last month by my company @ +/- R900. It's definitely worth having and will raise your pay. I'm almost done with my candidacy period so we'll see how that affects my pay...

Once you're a pro, to keep it active you also need to earn 5 CPD points per year. That means attending random courses throughout the year - as to keep you up to date with the whatnots of the industry.

 

[KSINGH]

if you have like 4 years experience, just fill out the forms over a wkend, get some referees to fill out their parts and drop it off/courier it to ECSA. go for a short interview and you're done. if you leave it for later when you might need it, you might find it difficult to account for all the weeks required. also the process can take more than six months after submission cos the committee sits every 2-3 months after the screening period which could be another 2 months.

remember that if you go up against someone for a promotion and you two are on par except for the Pr.Eng, guess who will most probaly be chosen. if you change jobs, some companies require a Pr.Eng to be in a particular salary band. The Pr.Eng status is also considered higher than many other designations like Minister of Parliament I think. Why not phone an administrator at ECSA and find out more. Also if you are a SAIEE member you get a discount on fees. Most companies also pay your application and membership fees as stated by others.

 

[bodhi]

as a B Eng graduate I don't think really of registering as a Pr Eng.

But then other engineers reckon I studied and obtained a B Comm Engineering degree

 

[opinionhated]

Not sure if this thread is still alive. For those who have gone through the process. What do I need to do. The ecsa documentation is vague. How often should you meet with your mentor. Is it critical that you have reports for all your training and projects? As much info as possible from those with experience.

 

[KSINGH]

just download the latest application form from the web and confirm the revision number with your ECSA administrator i.e. the person who will receive your app. There's also a second document that you and your ref/supervisor must fill out. Make sure you get that.

Meeting with your mentor was irrelevant/not required. the reports will be written on the application forms i.e brief descriptions. 2 to 3 major projects must be a bit more detailed. then email each report to your supervisor(registered engineer), get him to sign, fax/scan back to you if he/she is no longer nearby.

give 2 ref's a form to fill out, get it in a sealed envelope and deliver it to ECSA.

 

[marco79]

just download the latest application form from the web and confirm the revision number with your ECSA administrator i.e. the person who will receive your app. There's also a second document that you and your ref/supervisor must fill out. Make sure you get that.

Meeting with your mentor was irrelevant/not required. the reports will be written on the application forms i.e brief descriptions. 2 to 3 major projects must be a bit more detailed. then email each report to your supervisor(registered engineer), get him to sign, fax/scan back to you if he/she is no longer nearby.

give 2 ref's a form to fill out, get it in a sealed envelope and deliver it to ECSA.

You make it sound so easy. Backtracking the info is the problem. If you can update those project reports as you go it will be alot easier. Don't forget the organograms. Include all courses, seminars, etc. that you attended after graduating, even if doesn't contribute to the CPD system.

One major objective is that you can prove that you have progressed in terms of engineering knowledge, experience & responsibility since you graduated.

 

[KSINGH]

the thing is, if you are able to back up your report summaries at the interview you will be fine. I did mine after about 7 years instead of 4. i had to pull up my project reports and summarise them. if you can do this as go along thats great. my interview was a cup of coffee and a tour of the new museum being set up at the SAIEE offices in Observatory.

the reports can be done in a week or less. its a matter of focusing on it every evening or the weekend. as for the organograms how many will you have? i had less than 10 and thats only cos I went to different depts for training. its a block diagram with manager-chief engineer-senior engineer-engineer/technician-EIT(you)

 

[Cicero]

Hmmm, I'm an electronic eng. I've always had mixed feelings about a Pr Eng in my field, but its definitely worth it for ALL the others, oh, except Computer Eng

Unless you want to work for the government/municipality its not necessary in Electronics, companies dont care as the industry changes SO fast, its all about experience.

 

[UnUnOctium]

Hmmm, I'm an electronic eng. I've always had mixed feelings about a Pr Eng in my field, but its definitely worth it for ALL the others, oh, except Computer Eng

Unless you want to work for the government/municipality its not necessary in Electronics, companies dont care as the industry changes SO fast, its all about experience.

What's wrong with comp eng? I studied comp. eng and my final year project was an electronic one We can do it all

 

[Cicero]

lol, nothing wrong with it. I just dont think Pr Eng for Electronic and Computer Eng is necessary.

 

[HavocXphere]

Project management Did it for a year and its not for me, at least not in the construction industry. I'll rather do arb management courses and sit at middle management where I still get to do some real engineering. Top management is not my thing.

you didnt read the post properly?..."If you plan to remain an engineer, then its a must have. If not, then rather use the time to acquaint yourself with the stuff they didnt teach you at varsity and that will take you where you want to be... like if you are interested in investment banking then do a CFA or something or project mgt then do a MSc in project mgt, consulting then an MBA, etc "

What I meant is that doing a CFA is effectively starting from scratch. 100% career shift. CFA and engineering don't intersect aside from a few part of decision making regarding capex. Hell, I'm doing a fin course & can get credit for some of the CFA stuff and yet I'm not even convinced it would be useful to me. When I posted that he had made no indication yet that a he wants to move away from engineering, so its a reasonable assumption that he is staying in the general area of engineering...and to such a person a CFA is not much good (imo).

 

[Cicero]

What I meant is that doing a CFA is effectively starting from scratch. 100% career shift. CFA and engineering don't intersect aside from a few part of decision making regarding capex. Hell, I'm doing a fin course & can get credit for some of the CFA stuff and yet I'm not even convinced it would be useful to me. When I posted that he had made no indication yet that a he wants to move away from engineering, so its a reasonable assumption that he is staying in the general area of engineering...and to such a person a CFA is not much good (imo).

Not sure I agree.

There's way too much content to teach everything, an engineering degree barely scrapes the surface and is more about teaching the dude a way of thinking...more analytical etc. So actually, engineers with CFA's make great analysts!!!!

Also, not many engineers in SA stay in development/R&D past around 30. Most past that age are into management, or a new career completely.

 

[HavocXphere]

Not sure I agree.

There's way too much content to teach everything, an engineering degree barely scrapes the surface and is more about teaching the dude a way of thinking...more analytical etc. So actually, engineers with CFA's make great analysts!!!!

I suppose so.

 

[ponder]

Civil & Electrical (Heavy Current) I would say YES. The rest I don't see the need.

 

[Frankie]

I have been working abroad for a good few years now, some of the time for a US company and the other part for a UK company, and the two companies don't even mention it, and very few of my engineering colleagues are registered.

Good exposure and experience in the line of business is what they look for.

 

[Kompete]

Not sure I agree.

There's way too much content to teach everything, an engineering degree barely scrapes the surface and is more about teaching the dude a way of thinking...more analytical etc. So actually, engineers with CFA's make great analysts!!!!

Also, not many engineers in SA stay in development/R&D past around 30. Most past that age are into management, or a new career completely.

+1

Engineers are a remarkable bunch. They can become great at just about anything. A lot of which has to do with the +4yrs of learning to think analytically and practically (vac work)... oh and boozing a lot

ps. I'm not just saying this cause I am/was an engineer