After graduating college, there are a huge selection of professional certifications a graduate can strive to obtain. Certifications are a way to distinguish yourself from the others in your field based on the professional’s focus or specialty. However, some folks get lost in the “alphabet” and users start to question which certifications are worth getting and which are best left alone. When deciding which certification to pursue, candidates should consider what’s required to obtain the certification and what is required to maintain the certification. Everyone will have their own reasons to obtain or not to obtain a particular certification.

P.E. (professional engineer) is a professional designation highly sought after by most engineering graduates. The road to obtaining a P.E. involves a 4-year engineering degree from a university, passing a fundamentals exam, 4 years working under the supervision of a licensed P.E., application, and passing a P.E. exam. The E.I.T. (engineer in training) designation is for those candidates that have successfully completed schooling, passed the fundamentals exam, and are progressing towards their P.E. Maintaining the certification involves 30 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle. There are many reasons for obtaining the P.E. certification; personal achievement, job promotion, and credentials are a few. While the P.E. does stand out, some individuals choose not to pursue this achievement due to the additional time required to study for the tests, increased responsibility for design, having to maintain the certification, etc.

LEED AP (Accredited Professional). LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was founded by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) with the focus on encouraging “greener” buildings. The USGBC will certify buildings as LEED compliant. In addition, professionals are able to become LEED certified. A few years ago, a professional was able to apply for a LEED AP credential. This credential was a life-long certification that did not require any “maintenance”. In the recent years, the USGBC has adopted a new professional designation that involves re-certification of credentials and continuing work study. Many professionals strive to obtain this certification to distinguish themselves as focused on environment and energy conservation. At this time, I’m choosing not to pursue LEED certification due to renewal requirements involves continuing education on a very select group of topics.

CFPS (Certified Fire Protection Specialist). During many job interviews as an electrical engineer, some of the same questions keep surfacing. Are you familiar with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards? Currently, NFPA has 4 certification programs: CFPS, Certified Fire Inspector I & II, and Certified Fire Plan Examiner. The CFPS is for those individuals focusing on curtailing fire loss by familiarizing and testing themselves to the codes and standards of the NFPA. The CFPS requires continuing education at each renewal period. Some professionals question if the CFPS is worth the effort of pursuing and decide pursue other certifications. Personally, I am involved in building commissioning, which involves reviewing and witnessing the testing of fire prevention systems. I intend on maintaining this certification.

PMP (Project Management Professional)  is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a professional organization that focuses on standardizing and developing the project management profession. The PMP designation is for those individuals focusing on adapting the project management methods set forth by PMI. Acquiring the PMP involves formal education in project management, project management experience, and application & testing. PMI has a  CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) certification for those individuals working towards their PMP certification. Maintaining a PMP designation requires continuing education hours for renewal.

There is a huge assortment of certifications that professionals can strive to obtain. The above listing is a miniscule portion of what’s available. Candidates should research the certifications in their field, decide which certifications work best per their career goals, and make an effort to pursue their goal certifications, if any.

-M