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[theleftcoast]

Hello,

I am coming close to graduating and need advice from the more senior message board members about the PE examination and the benefits of a masters degree. Is it worth it to try to pass the exam and become licensed? Would pursuing a masters degree be a good investment of my time and money? Will a masters degree be basically necessary to sit for the PE exam with the 30 credit hour rules going into effect in 2015?

The reason I am asking is because I couldn't find good discussion about the benefits of becoming a certified professional engineer that were tailored to chemical engineering students. From what I understand, it really isn't necessary to have passed the PE exam to work for a larger company in a plant environment. I still think it would be a smart thing to work towards passing because it would only enhance my credentials and might help me later on. I also couldn't find much on the benefits of a masters degree for those who go into process engineering.

If it matters, here is a little bit regarding my basic career goals. My overall plan is to gain experience in a plant environment for a few years (preferably in a refinery) and move into more of a design or project planning/management role after that. I think a career path like this would make me happiest because I like troubleshooting processes and tackling design problems. With this career path in mind, I want to make sure that I plan the rest of my education to make it happen. I have to finish up some undergraduate classes in the fall and will have completed all my degree requirements at the end of December. I haven't had too much luck in the job hunt so far and I don't have anything lined up for the upcoming summer or for after I graduate. Since I don't have job prospects, pursuing a masters degree is the best rout I can think of to enhance my credentials and pursue my career goals. I may have the opportunity to get an early start on research towards a masters thesis this summer and really need to weigh the pro's and con's before I make any decisions.

I would love to hear feedback from anyone because it would really help me plan for the upcoming year.

Thanks,
JT