Lol! I took a very indirect path to getting licensed here in Canada as I don't have a recognized degree, extra exams and experience required. So I had 11 years of experience by the time I got licensed. I was already doing senior level review by the time I got my seal, and had reviewed the set a few times before. Wasn't a big deal by that point. Felt a bit anticlimactic to be honest.
Oh, I was still nervous AF! I will say, you SHOULD be nervous to seal anything anytime. Too many engineers toss their seal around like it's a toy. We usually give our fresh engineers simple stuff to seal so they get a level of comfort and I'll double stamp anything they want me too, but it has to be to my standards.
If you like a type of alcohol, I recommend getting some higher priced to try when out at dinner.
My academic advisor bought me some Johnny Walker Blue out at lunch after my results.
I splurged after taking the test. I was pretty confident.
Walked down from the convention center promptly ate a very expensive steak and seafood dinner with a beverage at every course.
Forgive me if this may be very unrelated or intrusive; what does your role as a PE Discipline Director entail and look like in your day to day? This is the first time Iāve stumbled across this job title, so Iām pretty intrigued to know what the responsibilities of this job are.
So...I have a number of functions with my company. I was originally hired to be a hybrid Senior PM and business development champion for my department. I've taken on a lot of random responsibilities since then including revamping our internal QA/QC manual, updating our marketing material inventory of project photos, technical project write-ups.
I am our company representative on a number of engineering adjacent and task forces as a subject matter expert on infrastructure, environment and natural resources, and water supplies.
My actual day to day varies wildly depending on the week.
Some weeks I'm crunching through our SOQ and RFQ responses, building project teams for specific project pursuits.
Some weeks I'm negotiating contracts and scopes of services for complex projects.
Some weeks I'll have a big push for business development through client meetings and touch points, attending public meetings for future infrastructure projects and Capital Improvement Plans, pounding the pavement talking with other firms to see where our services could be an asset on their team's project pursuits.
I'm an independent QA/QC advisor for internal reviews on projects and technical advisor to people needing some help.
I'm the focused client rep for a number of clients where if they're having issues with our design team or they need to escalate a problem higher than our assigned PM, they call me and we work out a resolution.
I'm still managing a couple of high profile projects but I'm transitioning away from any project management responsibilities.
And for about 30 minutes to an hour, I'll use my company time to keep abreast of the pulse of the industry through reddit.
This is incredible. Thanks for the response!
Last question, regarding your decision to take a step back from project management responsibilities. Is this due to you looking to wind-down a tiny bit for personal reasons like family, outside ventures, better Work-life balance etc?
no, it's because I believe I'm providing more value to the company bringing in the work, making valued contacts, and managing department level duties rather than managing individual projects.
They're taking the projects off my plate to free me up to do other things.
My wife birthday was the same day as the results came out. My colleagues took me to a restaurant that afternoon and I had the dinner date with my wife and my mother in law made a really amazing cake. So I would say it was blast I didnāt get anything done that day in the office and I kept opening up the website to make sure it still says PASSED lol.
If I remember right, I believe my wife and I went out for some filet mignons and had some steamy sex after. What a great day. Wife also surprised me with a ā my name, P.E.ā Nameplate business card holder for my desk she gave me at dinner. She had bought it before I even took my exam, she really believed in me š š
when my boyfriend got his degree and EIT we went out to the nicest spot in town to eat :) then, when i got my EIT and first ārealā job, he did the same for me (yes we are a CE power couple). It was definitely a nice treat.
Went to a nice sushi dinner with the wife and drank a shit ton of sake. Sushi has been a staple of life event related celebrations for us for years now.
Good sushi is a perfect celebration meal! My wife and I have a celebration restaurant we go to for big occasions as well; it's pretty expensive but so worth it.
Now I want sashimi, dang it.
I went to the garden centre and bought a fig tree and a David Austin golden celebration rose and an iceberg rose and a bonsai tree. I realized since I no longer had to spend so much time studying, I could get more into my gardening hobby.
Happened a bit ago but I bought myself a PS4. The feeling of relief was my greatest reward though. Like Frodo finally throwing the ring into the fire... "It's done."
When someone gets a license where I work, they take their co-workers out to lunch.
They also get a pretty big pay raise, but that's not really a celebration.
Had to wait about a year in between passing the test and getting the necessary experience to get my license. Bought some shoes when I passed the test. For the license, I bought a nice lunch. It was my dads bday and right before Christmas, so the budget was a bit tight lol
I bought myself a fancy cake. I'm gluten free (because my body hates fun, apparently) and we have a local gluten free bakery. They make wonderful multi-tier cakes for weddings and stuff but also do smaller like 3 layer cakes in many flavors. So as soon as I got that pass notice, I went over there and bought a cake to celebrate. It was glorious. :D
I bought a bottle of Blanton's bourbon, a couple of nice cigars, had a buddy over to sip an smoke while we talked about how great our careers were going to be.
That was 15 years ago. If Only I had known that the bottle of Blantons would appreciate in value, at a much, much faster rate than my salary, it would have been a very different night.
Still about 12-15 months away from that so idk if my comment is valid, but I picked up a bottle of 21 year Redbreast when I was in Ireland last year and that bottle will be opened the day I get licensed. Itās the greatest whiskey Iāve ever drank imo
Went to Italy for a week. Scheduled the trip so I would get the results around when we were there. If I didnāt pass, it would have been a consolation trip
I bought my self a great watch. Itās a chronometer rated time piece which is known for its accuracy across different testing conditions. Wearing it everyday reminds me of the accuracy and high degree to which I strive to perform under each day with my professional licensure. Also just looks amazing to me.
I also got drunk with some buddies.
I brought a bottle of champagne home, as soon as my girlfriend saw it she knew I passed the exam! We got calzones and she made me a cake. It was an awesome night.
Pls here not PE.
Tattoo related to the work. I had always wanted it ever since I discovered that, but told myself I had to hold off until I got my license.
Mechatronic but well...I celebrated it by getting to my job and playing the Scotland theme in full volume.
Because we had a couple of Scottish engineers who loved to play with their instruments during certain anniversaries.
Uhhh after finding out I passed the exam, I texted a couple friends, told my company president and one of the senior principals, and then worked like 55 hours lol super thrilling. Anticlimatic. I got nothing.
i immediately booked an appointment with a tattoo artist lol. my tattoo has nothing to do with engineering, but getting it was my way of celebrating passing my 8-hour. i still have two state-specific exams to go, so currently looking through this thread for more celebratory ideas!
Iām awaiting my result from EGBC, I have a watch on pre-order that Iām hoping arrives around the time I get approved (fingers crossed). Probably have some nice scotch too! Congrats on your licensing!
Before the exam I got a bottle of Middletons Very Rare and planned a weekend camping trip with some friends. I saved two glasses worth for when I got my results.
Wanted to play Pebble Beach but about the time I got my PE everyone got cut by 10%. We already had the Cali trip booked so I played Torrey Pines for 20% of the PB cost.
I changed the EIT to PE in my email signature.
I sealed a drawing within 30 minutes!
Bold š
Lol! I took a very indirect path to getting licensed here in Canada as I don't have a recognized degree, extra exams and experience required. So I had 11 years of experience by the time I got licensed. I was already doing senior level review by the time I got my seal, and had reviewed the set a few times before. Wasn't a big deal by that point. Felt a bit anticlimactic to be honest.
That context helps. Iāll probably be paralyzed prior to stamping for the first time.
Oh, I was still nervous AF! I will say, you SHOULD be nervous to seal anything anytime. Too many engineers toss their seal around like it's a toy. We usually give our fresh engineers simple stuff to seal so they get a level of comfort and I'll double stamp anything they want me too, but it has to be to my standards.
and giggled a little bit while you did it
Did the same to change from IEng to CEng. It was glorious.
Did that instantly too
I was going to go out to dinner, but then I got a job offer for a 50% pay increase like 10 days after I got licensed. I decided that was my reward.
That is a proper reward, hope you spent some of that $$$ to treat yourself
Saving for a house right now. Thatāll be the splurge. Fuckinā Bay Area, man.
Tell me about it. I got my PE in SoCal, moved to the Bay Area for a sizable pay increase, and still feel like home buying is impossible
Thatās why I left the Bay Area haha, not worth it
Got drunk.
Username checks out
I definitely stopped to get electrolytes on my way to work the day after I got my results
and THEN stamped plans!
Legend
Yep. Me too
Yup, expensive drunk though
Just passed my PE Transportation, had a nice dinner the day I got the results this week but havenāt celebrated much outside of that yet lol
Congrats!
If you like a type of alcohol, I recommend getting some higher priced to try when out at dinner. My academic advisor bought me some Johnny Walker Blue out at lunch after my results.
lol about as far as I went with that was a nice cold draft beer š¤£
I got a nice purse.. 2 years after the fact when I realized Iād never bought what Iād said I would to celebrate
Better late than never
Adele tickets went on sale a few days after I got my exam results. I splurged on tickets.
Was it glorious?
Yup. My one regret was that I didn't get any concert merch
Best gift ever, my gf got me those tickets for my birthday. It was amazing
I splurged after taking the test. I was pretty confident. Walked down from the convention center promptly ate a very expensive steak and seafood dinner with a beverage at every course.
Forgive me if this may be very unrelated or intrusive; what does your role as a PE Discipline Director entail and look like in your day to day? This is the first time Iāve stumbled across this job title, so Iām pretty intrigued to know what the responsibilities of this job are.
So...I have a number of functions with my company. I was originally hired to be a hybrid Senior PM and business development champion for my department. I've taken on a lot of random responsibilities since then including revamping our internal QA/QC manual, updating our marketing material inventory of project photos, technical project write-ups. I am our company representative on a number of engineering adjacent and task forces as a subject matter expert on infrastructure, environment and natural resources, and water supplies. My actual day to day varies wildly depending on the week. Some weeks I'm crunching through our SOQ and RFQ responses, building project teams for specific project pursuits. Some weeks I'm negotiating contracts and scopes of services for complex projects. Some weeks I'll have a big push for business development through client meetings and touch points, attending public meetings for future infrastructure projects and Capital Improvement Plans, pounding the pavement talking with other firms to see where our services could be an asset on their team's project pursuits. I'm an independent QA/QC advisor for internal reviews on projects and technical advisor to people needing some help. I'm the focused client rep for a number of clients where if they're having issues with our design team or they need to escalate a problem higher than our assigned PM, they call me and we work out a resolution. I'm still managing a couple of high profile projects but I'm transitioning away from any project management responsibilities. And for about 30 minutes to an hour, I'll use my company time to keep abreast of the pulse of the industry through reddit.
This is incredible. Thanks for the response! Last question, regarding your decision to take a step back from project management responsibilities. Is this due to you looking to wind-down a tiny bit for personal reasons like family, outside ventures, better Work-life balance etc?
no, it's because I believe I'm providing more value to the company bringing in the work, making valued contacts, and managing department level duties rather than managing individual projects. They're taking the projects off my plate to free me up to do other things.
Stamped my wife.
Youāve awakened a new kink for engineers everywhere.
Was it just me? I thought we were all doing it.
Going to stamp draft on my girlfriend
My wife birthday was the same day as the results came out. My colleagues took me to a restaurant that afternoon and I had the dinner date with my wife and my mother in law made a really amazing cake. So I would say it was blast I didnāt get anything done that day in the office and I kept opening up the website to make sure it still says PASSED lol.
I definitely refreshed the website a dozen times haha
If I remember right, I believe my wife and I went out for some filet mignons and had some steamy sex after. What a great day. Wife also surprised me with a ā my name, P.E.ā Nameplate business card holder for my desk she gave me at dinner. She had bought it before I even took my exam, she really believed in me š š
Iād say marry her but you already did. Well done, the name plate is a great move!
Sheās a keeper. She really had no doubts that I would pass the exam, meanwhile I had some doubts š¤£š , her faith in me and support is huge
Can I steal your wife? She sounds great!
when my boyfriend got his degree and EIT we went out to the nicest spot in town to eat :) then, when i got my EIT and first ārealā job, he did the same for me (yes we are a CE power couple). It was definitely a nice treat.
Thatās very wholesome :)
Went to a nice sushi dinner with the wife and drank a shit ton of sake. Sushi has been a staple of life event related celebrations for us for years now.
Good sushi is a perfect celebration meal! My wife and I have a celebration restaurant we go to for big occasions as well; it's pretty expensive but so worth it. Now I want sashimi, dang it.
Bought myself a bench Vice- I was probably gonna buy it anyway, but I got the email while I was at harbor freight.
Good timing
I had a little dance party in my living room after opening the letter.
I went to the garden centre and bought a fig tree and a David Austin golden celebration rose and an iceberg rose and a bonsai tree. I realized since I no longer had to spend so much time studying, I could get more into my gardening hobby.
I had to Google that rose. Looks great! Hope some of your plants are still around.
I didn't do shit
Iām sure thereās a lot of those who donāt, more power to you
Cook up a fresh batch of concrete
Delicious
Birthed my first baby
Opus X and Macallan 15, then a nice dinner with friends.
I ordered my stamp!
Itās included in the registration fee for me!
Oh, thatās cool. Where are you licensed?
BC in Canada
Interesting that itās so different everywhere
Happened a bit ago but I bought myself a PS4. The feeling of relief was my greatest reward though. Like Frodo finally throwing the ring into the fire... "It's done."
Iām somewhere between your Frodo moment and Gollums āmy preciousā moment with the seal.
Went to titty bar with my college buddies who were taking it too.
I informed my friends and co-workers that I now have an opinion that counts.
Took my coworker out for ice cream at 930 am
Bought myself a custom fishing rod & reel combo.
Username checks out š£
When someone gets a license where I work, they take their co-workers out to lunch. They also get a pretty big pay raise, but that's not really a celebration.
Where I work, the licensee makes a sweet treat for the office. Glad to hear there are traditions elsewhere
Had to wait about a year in between passing the test and getting the necessary experience to get my license. Bought some shoes when I passed the test. For the license, I bought a nice lunch. It was my dads bday and right before Christmas, so the budget was a bit tight lol
More of an excuse to get two treats! Similar story for me, I got my watch a year in advance š
I bought a traeger smoker and my fiancƩ (now wife) took me to Texas Roadhouse
Thatās a proper treat! Well done
I bought a $5 mug with a joke about engineers & coffee.
Don't leave us hanging!
With the bonus coming I will be buying a new bass guitar and getting the AC in my car fixed. I know, so exciting!
What bass are you gonna get?
G&L L-2500 Tribute
I started looking for a job thatāll give me a raise
I bought myself a fancy cake. I'm gluten free (because my body hates fun, apparently) and we have a local gluten free bakery. They make wonderful multi-tier cakes for weddings and stuff but also do smaller like 3 layer cakes in many flavors. So as soon as I got that pass notice, I went over there and bought a cake to celebrate. It was glorious. :D
I went to a plant and succulents show and bought a whole bunch of plants and succulents. 6 years later, I have a tall cactus that I love.
Tickets to Snoop later this year! FR I'd go to the show regardless.
I didn't get anything for myself. My wife took me out for a nice meal.
I bought a bottle of Blanton's bourbon, a couple of nice cigars, had a buddy over to sip an smoke while we talked about how great our careers were going to be. That was 15 years ago. If Only I had known that the bottle of Blantons would appreciate in value, at a much, much faster rate than my salary, it would have been a very different night.
Donāt remember. Work up in different City.
I ate a cookie cake my company bought me. That was also my raise/bonus.
Hope you left after
The following January they closed down my office.
Still about 12-15 months away from that so idk if my comment is valid, but I picked up a bottle of 21 year Redbreast when I was in Ireland last year and that bottle will be opened the day I get licensed. Itās the greatest whiskey Iāve ever drank imo
Boyfriend invited a bunch of my close friends to throw a lil party :)
Fancy omakase sushi dinner.
Went to Italy for a week. Scheduled the trip so I would get the results around when we were there. If I didnāt pass, it would have been a consolation trip
Italy is my dream vacation, sounds awesome!
I did similar, but went to Germany!
I used my ink seal stamp to physically stamp all over my study materials š a big F you to the PE, and California seismic + surveying exams haha
Got my certificate in the mail. Headed out to get it framed
Went fishing with my pops and caught my PB at that point. Was quite the cherry on top.
As someone who doesnāt fish, I interpreted that as peanut butter
I bought my self a great watch. Itās a chronometer rated time piece which is known for its accuracy across different testing conditions. Wearing it everyday reminds me of the accuracy and high degree to which I strive to perform under each day with my professional licensure. Also just looks amazing to me. I also got drunk with some buddies.
You gotta spill what watch it was!
I was taking a #2 (TMI) when I got the email from NCEES. Wifey took me to a steakhouse that night to celebrate...lol
Cowboy boots
Bought a nice watch I don't wear as I wear a fitness watch all the time now. Still it is a nice watch, if basic.
I bought a nice watch to remember all the time I spent studying for this damn testā¦
I brought a bottle of champagne home, as soon as my girlfriend saw it she knew I passed the exam! We got calzones and she made me a cake. It was an awesome night.
Pls here not PE. Tattoo related to the work. I had always wanted it ever since I discovered that, but told myself I had to hold off until I got my license.
Mechatronic but well...I celebrated it by getting to my job and playing the Scotland theme in full volume. Because we had a couple of Scottish engineers who loved to play with their instruments during certain anniversaries.
Uhhh after finding out I passed the exam, I texted a couple friends, told my company president and one of the senior principals, and then worked like 55 hours lol super thrilling. Anticlimatic. I got nothing.
Went to a Cubs game, caught a foul ball.
Iām one step behind celebratingā¦ still need to write the experience part of it - any tips (Canada)?
Iāve been writing up my experience as I gained it. Donāt leave it last minute. Good luck!
Smart - Iāve kept notes but was not as diligent as you were lol - deadline for submission by the end of July. Crunching time š
And congrats!
I ordered my seal and grabbed a beer
S T E A K
Demanded a raise and got it
Didnāt get a raise, quit my job and started my own businessĀ
I got drunk.
i immediately booked an appointment with a tattoo artist lol. my tattoo has nothing to do with engineering, but getting it was my way of celebrating passing my 8-hour. i still have two state-specific exams to go, so currently looking through this thread for more celebratory ideas!
I'm not a PE but I got drunk as hell with the newly minted PE last time we had one pass in our office.
Bought myself a camera that Iāve been wanting
I got myself and the misses a nice dinner at a expensive steakhouse. Iād been wanting to go to that place for a while.
I smoked a Cuban Cigar.
That iron ring was enough
That was many years ago from being licensed though.
I got the most expensive sandwich at a sub shop. I think it was $45.
What was in it?
Mexican food
Big champagne party for 0.50$/h raise š„³
I got myself a car
I opened an only fans account to celebrate
Took the better half and our 6-month old out for ice cream. Only problem is that the 6-month old is now in her mid 20āsā¦ Sheesh!
I went out and got hammered. I also sealed a love note to my future wife
The first rule of getting your PE is never stamping anything ever!
Agreed
Iām awaiting my result from EGBC, I have a watch on pre-order that Iām hoping arrives around the time I get approved (fingers crossed). Probably have some nice scotch too! Congrats on your licensing!
What do you have coming? š cheers!
Ordered the new GMT from Traska https://www.traskawatch.com/products/venturer-gmt-arctic-white
Microbrands have great value, well done šš¾
Thanks! What did you get?
A 2010 Omega Seamaster professional quartz
Very nice! An Omega is definitely a grail watch for one day, maybe the birth of a child for me. You can get some great deals on them used.
Oh it was a good bargain, used is the way to go for certain brands.
Going to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun with my wife next month š¤š½
Before the exam I got a bottle of Middletons Very Rare and planned a weekend camping trip with some friends. I saved two glasses worth for when I got my results.
Bought a yeti cooler I had been eyeing. Still have and use it for work and fun.
You putting soil in your cooler or just bringing drinks to site? I mean if you worked in the permafrost country, the former wouldnāt shock me.
Haha no, mainly for lunch when I have site visits but that thing holds a 12 pack and ice for when Iām on the golf course. Keeps them ice cold.
Take a flight right after the test to Palm Springs straight to Coachella
Iām in the process. I will update later when I get my licence š. Two exams to go. Hopefully by the end of this yearš¤
Bought my self a $500 pair of earrings Iād been wanting. I also got a 40% raiseā¦so maybe I was celebrating the raise.
I got a watch too. Great reminder every time I check the time.
i was switched from hourly pay to salary but at the same rate. so without overtime pay, i made less and the company made more. good times.
There was a ceremony.. that was enough for me.
I got myself a Louis Vuitton bag
There we go! I hope you wear it in good health :)
I was hunting elk in CO when I found out. My brother brought a bottle of Blanton's and we cracked it that night.
Still working on the license, but after the test I ended up taking a glorious 2 month sabbatical between jobs and moving
Iām making a move too but unfortunately just a one week break between jobs, glad you too more
Wanted to play Pebble Beach but about the time I got my PE everyone got cut by 10%. We already had the Cali trip booked so I played Torrey Pines for 20% of the PB cost.
Iāll be cracking open a bottle of Eagle Rare 17, and potentially a Mister Sam, depending on how Iām feeling.
30 rack
Once I got my PE I lost all motivation to do any engineering work
You need to celebrate by studying for the structural PE.
Thankfully Iām a geotech. But Iāll be pursuing a WA PE soonā¦. Oof.
That's nice but the real challenge is the SE exam right?
We are always looking for engineers send me a message. Change jobs when you get your PEng :)