Mechanical Engineer to CWEng or CWI

By BSDMechEng Date 08-02-2012 06:48

I am 24 years old. I have an ABET accredited B.S. degree from Montana State University in mechanical engineering. After spending 4 years of schooling and 2 years in a cubical doing paper work, welding has really caught my interest. I'm looking for work that is more hands on in the fabrication industry. My schooling didn't consist of very much welding or machining experience.

In order to take the AWS Welding Engineer Exam, it says I need to have "a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in engineering and a minimum of one (1) year of related experience."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way that I understand it is that I don't need to have a degree in Welding Engineering to become a certified welding engineer. I just need to have any kind of engineering degree? What qualifies as related experience? I would prefer that my related experience was in welding and not in designing. If I found an entry level welding job to get the required experience, would I be wasting my time?

Which certification has a greater job opportunities, CWEng or CWI? Which one is more useful? Money aside, which one would you rather have?

Would I have the opportunity to work under a P.E. as a CWEng or CWI and gain relative experience to apply for the P.E. exam?

Thanks for your time and advice.

By js55

Date 08-02-2012 17:12

CWEng is almost useless. CWI is far prefferable and can provide a good income. Neither come close to preparing for a PE exam.
And you don't need a degree for any of it, but the remaining quals are more robust.

By BSDMechEng Date 08-03-2012 05:04

With the information that you just provided, I would prefer a CWI position that gives me experience to take the PE exam. Do those exist?

By js55

Date 08-03-2012 12:34

My opinion is that of the choices you have determined the CWI position is preferable. But once again, it will not prepare you for a PE exam. At best it can provide you a good income WHILE yo prepare for the PE exam. And certainly CWI positions exist. You have to look for them. Perhaps others can help you with that.