Back when I first became a PE, I joined NSPE. I was not crazy about the rule that required me to become a member of the state chapter of NSPE; in fact it was the first professional organization I had ever joined that had membership in a state (or local) chapter as a requirement for national membership. My experience with local sections has been spotty, a few are good, most are not and do the minimum (if that much).
I was shocked that the NYS chapter of NSPE had dues that were the about same as the national membership, (at the time around $120). But whatever; I was a newly minted PE and I thought I’d at least find out what it was all about.
The national organization had some good information and an interesting magazine and it was worth the membership. In addition, the ability to purchase their contract documents at half price is quite the deal for small companies.
On the other hand, the state chapter was a lobbying organization for the construction trades in NY and me being a Chemical Engineer in industrial practice, did not really serve my needs. This was especially true when I took an expat assignment in China, and discussed the matter with the national organization. They were quite understanding of my situation and waived the requirement of state chapter membership during my time abroad.
When I returned to the US full time, the state chapter exemption went away. The NYS dues were more than the national dues, and I decided to quit the organization rather than pay for lobbying that did nothing to further my career. For example, did you know that in NYS, if you were a PE working for the state prior to 2004, you were exempt from the CE requirement? The logic baffles. Private practitioners desperately needed CE, while state employees were grandfathered (or already knew everything there is to know about engineering) and therefore had no need for no further education. That, I suspect, was the doing of the NYS NSPE.
I simply wish the national NSPE would remove the requirement of joining the ranks of the state chapters. They would probably get more members.
Filed under: Continuing Education, General, Licensure
as far as I know, you do not need to join the state organization anymore.