Finished my 60 hours of PDH's, 30 for land surveyor and 30 for engineer, paid the fees and re upped for 2 more years. Barely use the PE, maybe a couple more 2 year cycles and I'll let it go. I suppose I can support the system but almost feels like harassment at this point. Like property taxes, you never really own it unless you keep paying.
I am happy in PA. As a PLS I can do minor engineering, so quite a few engineering PDH's can go both ways. By the end of a two year cycle I typically have at least 36+ hours, with 12 strictly engineering, 12 strictly surveying and at least 12 more counting to both. Then there are those I take for my personal benefit, such as National Electrical or Building Code.
Paul in PA
I have generally been FOR the pdh requirement, in the past.
Mainly, because it has forced surveyors to visit at the conferences.
And, exposed us to new toys, (tools) at the conferences.
However... I'm watching surveyors literally circumvent the process... Literally!
1st off, the conferences are held spring, and fall. DURING the spring rush. (fall is not as bad, but still busy)
They go to conferences, but spend much time on their phones. Because that business is booming.
Lot's of the material is rehashed, 20x over.
It's often faster, and easier to get pdh's online. I've been doing it online, when the spring rush was on me.
If i needed to have a discussion with a particular vendor... No ya have to be in class. So, now you get no credit for attending that session, if you opt to stay out of a class.
Also, some equipment is essentially "moving foreward" without the main body of surveyors.
How to fix it?
One word, relevancy. Material must be relevant. And, enforcement of min. Stds.
Around here, we all know who does good work, and who does not.
Certian names... We already know... 'taint surveying! 'tis faking!
So, I've been working feverishly to learn the gammut of stuff... And it's WORK to stay current... However, I'm watching many fall behind. Our curent system needs leaders who are current, and who are practicing way above min stds.
And, we are going to have to include "science and technology" in the core of cont. Ed. Maybe as a "corrective" we should have some vendors send a rep for a day.
One more thing.
OVER 1/2 of the conferences I've attended in the past 30 yrs. have bad sound systems.
So,
Go to pdu class, sit through class, and miss 1/2 of it. Or more. Bad sound system.
Go to conference, get demo from vendor. No credit, for attending. So, it becomes a catch 22. Spend 10k or 20k. For equipment. And, I still have to go online, to get cont ed, because I spent my conference time, with some equipment vendor. I've done this.
I'm exempt from cont ed now. But, I'm frustrated at the incompetence demonstrated. It was the malfunctioning sound systems that sent me through the ceiling of frustration.
If I attend, and I sit through any sessions, with bad sound, I'm gonna demand my money back... For the full conference. I think we all should.
I'd like it if surveyors brought our own sound system. Once again, It's simple stuff.
And we made them 3 day conferences.
And, you could get your full pdh count in 2 days. This would let us vote with our choices to attend various things. And give us more time with vendors.
Rant off.
N
Nate The Surveyor, post: 420401, member: 291 wrote: ...the conferences are held spring, and fall. DURING the spring rush....
Bigger states who can pay bigger fees can hold their conferences in January. Smaller states have to hold them when they can get the speakers.
Why would a speaker be available during the spring rush, and not during winter, when things are less busy?
N
LRDay, post: 420388, member: 571 wrote: Finished my 60 hours of PDH's, 30 for land surveyor and 30 for engineer, paid the fees and re upped for 2 more years. Barely use the PE, maybe a couple more 2 year cycles and I'll let it go. I suppose I can support the system but almost feels like harassment at this point. Like property taxes, you never really own it unless you keep paying.
Just keep posting. I always enjoy your point of view. Jp
I'm not sure how many states do this, but Iowa lets you put a professional license on "Inactive" status for a very modest biennial fee. To make it active again you have to take have the CEUs for a biennium (maybe a little more?) and pay the renewal. My PE(electrical) has been on Inactive status for many years, rather than let it lapse.
Mark Mayer, post: 420403, member: 424 wrote: Bigger states who can pay bigger fees can hold their conferences in January. Smaller states have to hold them when they can get the speakers.
Small states like ND and SD hold in February and january respectively.
Jon Collins, post: 420469, member: 11135 wrote: Small states like ND and SD hold in February and january respectively.
Oklahoma does early March, Texas does October, New Mexico does February, Kansas does October with a large seminar in January.
When offering seminars, it is really important to decide most everything at least 6months in advance to guarantee the course title, speaker, facility and location and date in order to get mailouts, email address and mailbox address of the possible attendees and to arrange for lists of places to stay and even plan auxiliary activities for SWMBO and family that may also arrive and to schedule meals, beverages and break snacks when the location is not in an area full of public eating establishments.
The first thing on the list is to get approval from your BOR for the course and speaker and pay any fees involved in a timely manner or else no CEUs will be awarded.
In Texas there is a seminar in state to attend near every month of the year.
Bill93, post: 420463, member: 87 wrote: My PE(electrical)
Just the guy I want to talk to! In another thread I mentioned replacing a capacitor on a monitor power board. My limited understanding of the cap's function in that role is to smooth out the rectified wave, so I didn't worry much about using a cap with a higher capacity (that's sort of a pun). But what about capacitors in logic or RF boards? Are their values typically critical?
A capacitor of hundreds or thousands of microfarad size will generally be fairly non-critical. In a power rectifier circuit, they do indeed serve to smooth the supply waveform and bigger is better until you get big enough to cause inrush currents at startup that overstress the diodes or blow a fuse.
Also non-critical are the RF bypass capacitors like the typically several 0.1 uF ceramics scattered around a digital board. Those smooth out the supply if a logic chip needs a surge and can't stand the nanoseconds before the additional current gets to it from the supply C's.
Smaller capacitors are often used in applications where the value is more important. I'd be more cautious in a switching power supply than a simple rectify-and-filter supply, especially with the small to medium size capacitors.
A modest size C in other kinds of circuit could be critical, but they would typically be smaller than the 1000uF you mentioned in your post on the other thread.
Something to keep in mind for anybody that is licensed but wants to further their education-I am licensed in three states but only have an associates degree. I wasn't licensed in any state until 2014, so I can't test for licensure by reciprocity/comity for states that currently require a 4 year degree. So, I started an online 4 year surveying program. I called all of the state boards under which I am licensed and even just one, three credit surveying class is worth anywhere from something like 30 pdh's up to 45 pdh's. Also, once you take into account carryover hours this could really stretch your pdh's. None to mention, if you happen to work for a company that pays for conferences-food, lodging, classes, plus wages etc., but aren't as willing to pay for college the fact that there are no need to pay for conferences the whole time you are enrolled plus probably the year after may be a useful bargaining tool.
Guy Townes, post: 420540, member: 11463 wrote: Something to keep in mind for anybody that is licensed but wants to further their education-I am licensed in three states but only have an associates degree. I wasn't licensed in any state until 2014, so I can't test for licensure by reciprocity/comity for states that currently require a 4 year degree. So, I started an online 4 year surveying program. I called all of the state boards under which I am licensed and even just one, three credit surveying class is worth anywhere from something like 30 pdh's up to 45 pdh's. Also, once you take into account carryover hours this could really stretch your pdh's. None to mention, if you happen to work for a company that pays for conferences-food, lodging, classes, plus wages etc., but aren't as willing to pay for college the fact that there are no need to pay for conferences the whole time you are enrolled plus probably the year after may be a useful bargaining tool.
Yeah, I was doing that for awhile, classes at Great Basin in Nevada. Then they sort of stopped then started up again but I didn't. Those hours can be a lot of work. I already have one degree and a lot of extra hours after that. I'm maybe 12 hours more to get another BS degree from Great Basin, but what's point, I went on Medicare this month. I suppose I'd be some sort of novelty or something, second BS degree in my mid sixties. 12 more real semester credits, nah ain't going there. With that second degree they'd probably want me to get double PDH's!
For younger surveyors a GREAT WAY TO GO!!
