Continuing education (CE) is a major licence renewal requirement for professional engineers (PEs) in most parts of the United States. Currently, 42 states plus the District of Columbia require PEs to take continuing education when renewing their licences. While taking your CE to satisfy legal requirements is a great move to retain your licence, it’s not the only reason to look into continuing your education.
The right CE course can help you become a valuable employee and equip you with the knowledge and skills to protect your community. Here’s what you should consider when choosing a continuing education course as a professional engineer:
1. Think About Your Needs
The most important factor to consider when choosing a continuing education program is its ability to meet your unique needs. Every professional engineer has different goals and thus your needs will vary a lot from your peers. Some of the questions you should ask yourself include:
- What am I interested in?
- Do I need to expand my knowledge on a specific topic?
- Am I taking CE to gain new knowledge or simply enhance a skill I have?
- Will the CE course be helpful in the future?
- Am I interested in advancing in my career or trying a different field?
Asking such questions and all other important questions as far as your interests and career are concerned will give you a great idea of what your CE course must have.
2. Consider Flexibility and Accessibility
No professional engineer can claim not to have a busy schedule, especially when they have to balance life and work. The last thing you need, therefore, is a course that will stress you out when it comes to planning your studying times. In-person classes are a great choice when you want maximum interaction with your peers and tutors. However, they have the least flexibility and you also should be within the physical location of the school.
If you want maximum flexibility and accessibility, try Online Engineering Courses from a renowned education provider like RocketCert. Such courses are designed to be easier and fun to take. Depending on what’s accessible, you can also opt for hybrid courses since these offer the best of both worlds. Whatever the case, it’s always a good idea to choose a program that offers maximum flexibility and accessibility so you can balance your work and personal life.
3. Do an Accreditation Check and Review the Renewal Requirements
A majority of the engineering licensing boards throughout the U.S. expect professional engineers to take courses they have approved. Since this is a mandatory CE requirement, taking an unofficial course or a course from an unauthorised provider means you will only end up wasting your time.
That’s why it’s generally a good idea to purchase your CE program from a state-approved education provider. It’s also advisable to check your state’s PE licensing renewal requirements to ensure you’re not only meeting the required CE hours but also taking an accredited course if required.
4. Always Read Reviews and Recommendations
After finding a few programs that catch your interest, it’s always a good idea to weigh them by reading reviews from former students. Check as many reviews as you can on different platforms to determine whether the course providers live up to their promises.
In these reviews, you will also find recommendations quite often, so be sure to check those as well. This may sound like a lot to deal with especially if you want to start your CE program as soon as you can, but it’s always worth the effort. If you want to make your work even easier, join PE forums so you can always get CE recommendations for different situations.
Get Your Course Right the First Time
Leveraging continuing education courses to advance in your engineering career is a great idea since you will not only be able to meet the renewal requirements but also increase your knowledge of different topics in your field. This increases your marketability and offers a range of additional benefits such as boosting your confidence at work.
RocketCert offers premium, well-designed courses that deliver such benefits and more. As one of the leading education providers in different states across the U.S., you can be sure they have exactly what you need and more. But don’t take our word for it. Visit rocketcert.com to experience it for yourself!
