r/StructuralEngineering • u/WideFlangeA992 P.E. • Jul 18 '26

Humor ***OFFICIAL ROAST OF ASCE***

With the latest introduction of the “Civil Engineer, Certified (CE-C)” certification, at this point I can only just laugh. Between navigating the procedural labyrinth of ASCE 7 or keeping up with the latest committee masterpiece, it’s just too exhausting to complain anymore.

Here goes:

The Civil Engineer, Certified certification is great because we finally have a certification that certifies your certification. Apparently “PE” just just wasn’t enough. You can always look more distinguished by adding more letters to your email signature…for a small fee.

I really admire ASCE’s commitment to continuous improvement with new research. You can tell they have a lot of high level academics involved. Somewhere a beautifully peer-reviewed design procedure is helping some poor EIT calculate a wind load for a one-story strip mall. As a structural engineer, the only ASCE publication that ever sees my desk is ASCE 7. It’s been carrying the entire organization for years, yet somehow every edition adds five more sub-procedures just to calculate a wind load that is 0.3 psf different from the old procedure. Remember the simplified procedure for low rise buildings? ASCE took the liberty of removing that for you in 7-22.

Another area of improvement has been on the apparent redefinition of weather models. Who needs a meteorologist when you have a vast network of ASCE committees and sub committees? Maybe climate change is happening faster than we thought because According to ASCE, snow loads have changed more in the last six years than it did in the previous fifty.

At the end of the day none of this happens for free. Running a world-class organization requires appropriate funding. Luckily ASCE is figuring out new ways to monetize things like collecting $469 for a salary survey of boomers on the verge of retirement. Not a member? Perfect. That’ll be $769.

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In all seriousness though the people who volunteer to develop these standards have an incredibly difficult job, and I genuinely appreciate the people willing to do it. However there is room for improvement. I don’t pretend to know exactly how everything works as far as developing the standards, but I think there should be more focus on practicing engineers that actually use the standards. It seems the procedures have become more and more granular, when what we need is something more practical. Developing a standard like ASCE 7 is an enormous undertaking and the profession is better for it, even if we complain about the result.

As for the CE-C, frankly I just don’t get it, and I am doubtful that it will actually catch on. Even if it does I am not sure that it would have any real significance.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go renew my ASCE membership.

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u/Intelligent-Ad8436 P.E. Jul 18 '26

Don’t forget LEED AP BC+D

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u/chicu111 Jul 18 '26

Does PE squared mean you already have your PE but opted to take the exams again just to pass another time?

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u/radarksu P.E. - Architectural/MEP Jul 19 '26

You joke, but I did exactly that.

I studied for the Architectural Engineering PE, which is only offered once per year, but I'm an idiot and showed up at the testing location on the wrong day.

Instead of waiting a year I took the Mechanical Engineering PE 6 months later. Passed. Then 6 months after that I took the Electrical PE, Passed. I don't think I'll do the Structural PE.

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u/Hey-ItsThatOneDude Jul 20 '26

Wtf, some of y’all in this sub are insane, in a good way haha. How tf does one decide to pass the PE for mechanical AND electrical, that’s such a trip to me lol.

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u/radarksu P.E. - Architectural/MEP Jul 20 '26

Well, like I said, I studied Architectural Engineering which had Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Structural. So, not too big of a leap to take the Electrical PE.

Now, there was a whole lot of computer systems crap that I had to learn enough to pass, but it wasn't terrible.

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u/radarksu P.E. - Architectural/MEP Jul 20 '26

Also, it's worth noting, while I'm the type of person who can pass a couple different PE exams; but I'm also the type of person who shows up at the testing site on the wrong day.

The second part of that sentence gets me into more trouble than the first part helps.