PDH Hours in South Dakota

$9 | PDH Courses for Engineers | Engineering PDH | PDH Online (discountpdh.com)

This is where I get my credits from and they tell you what states have approved their courses from. You can pick the course that is state approved, take the sample test before studying the material and if you pass the sample text, simply pay by credit card and print out your certificate. They are less expensive than most online services. If you don't pass the practice test, you can download the course material to study. I typically get my 24 PDH credits needed for biannual renewal in less than an hour.

"I typically get my 24 PDH credits needed for biannual renewal in less than an hour."

This is a great argument against requiring PDHs in any jurisdiction.

No kidding.

If someone doesn't want to learn and keep up with their profession, mandating hours isn't going to change that. They'll just sleep through conference sessions.

Or they'll listen to an expert explain how to do something for two hours, and then raise their hand so they can tell the entire room "I don't care what you say, I'm going to do it the same way I've always done it!"

You know that guy too?

I've been licensed for 25 years now, and I go to the state conference every year. Frankly, there isn't too much being said in most of the seminars that hasn't been heard several times before. Once in a while there is somebody with something new to say and those are easy to stay awake in. Many others - not so much.

Earlier this fall my states licensing board put on it annual "Symposium", good for most of the PDHs I need for the year. Much of the material was more engineering than surveying related, but the board has issued certificates to all who attended (virtually). I had no problem staying awake, it was new and interesting.

I've also earned PDHs this year by attending webinars put on by the NGS. No cost and interesting enough to hold my attention.

I spent money on Jan van Sickle's latest edition of GPS (and GNSS) for Land Surveyors and have actually spent hours reading it. I keep my survey library up to date and dust free.

Last year an outfit called "PDH Academy" sent me a 120 page booklet. I read the whole thing and answered all the questions. I did not send them $149 for the 12 PDH hour certificate.

Never mind the hours I spend on this website, which does more for my professional development than all those other things put together. I think that some state boards allow "self study" hours, but I have never claimed that.

You may see me dozing off at PLSO in January. Nevertheless, don't assume that I'm not getting any professional development into my year.

That guy must make his rounds, he's been at every conference and seminar that I ever attended.

There are more ways to obtain development hours than by attending conferences where the same topics are covered every year, or to take online courses. You'll likely learn more about current trends, advances in technology and modern equipment applications by following groups like this than you will by other means.

I dropped out of my state's Professional Society of Land Surveyors when they were pushing for the four year degree requirement and CEUs. Most of us older licensees were licensed based on experience and passing basically the same exams required today. That degree requirement, in my personal opinion, did more harm to the profession than good.

Why should we be forced to sit in classes that cover what we already had to know to pass the exam, or, to learn other things in areas of practice that we don't venture into for one reason or another?

Why should we be forced to sit in classes that cover what we already had to know to pass the exam, or, to learn other things in areas of practice that we don’t venture into for one reason or another?

I guess it's true that there aren't many options when you think you already know everything there is to know within your immediate sphere and have no interest in anything outside it....

I go back to basics often, not only because it helps me when I have to explain things to folks who are working under my stamp, but also because as the profession advances, those "basics" are being applied in new and different ways than in the past.

It's good to know what other geospatial practitioners are doing, because it impacts my profession as well as opens up new avenues of work. I don't personally do sUAS or photogrammetry work, but you can bet I have taken remote sensing courses, gotten familiar with the workflows and keep up with how they're being used in conjunction with traditional survey. I try hard to keep up with advancements in design & construction because they often impact how I work as well. I haven't done true geodetic surveying in several years but I read all the NGS publications and attend the webinars because that definitely does impact my work.

That degree requirement, in my personal opinion, did more harm to the profession than good.

A big, big part of getting a degree is realizing that (a) you don't know, and cannot know, everything and (b) having a wide range of knowledge outside of your area of focus is an asset for professionals. A degree that only covers the knowledge needed to perform specific tasks of a specific job isn't a degree - it's a trade school certificate.

Then again, it seems that a nontrivial chunk of us believe in an extremely narrow definition of surveying that is more of a trade than a profession, so perhaps that's where we are headed. I think that's going backward rather than forward, but in any case I'm ok with learning about lots of things that don't necessarily directly impact me. I think it makes me a better surveyor. YMMV.

One thing I like about Vermont's PE continuing education requirement is it's up to the engineer to decide if the course satisfies the requirement for engineering continuing education. There is no need to pay to get the course pre-approved. As an example, I took a free non-credit course on making changes to backyard woods that will improve the environment, which covered how climate change is impacting woods. One of the requirements for engineers is to take a course covering climate change. When the final details come out for 2024, I'm hoping this course will fill the requirement.

There are random audits. If, during the audit, the board decides a particular course doesn't meet the requirement, the engineer will be given a reasonable time to make it up.

Thanks for the info.