Maintaining those licenses requiring CEU's...

[Country Flier]

I have had a managerial level water treatment plant operator's license for the last 25 years. I am around water treatment plants. I have operated water treatment plants.

I haven't just operated them. I design water treatment plants. That is my job. That is what I do day to day.

Here's the thing. In order to renew my water treatment plant operator's license, I have to do 36 hours worth of CEU units every three years. And I have, for the last 25 years.

It's stupid. I sign up for online courses, just do the tests, ace them, learn nothing, and get my CEU cert for renewal. I'm running out of options for online CEU courses since... I've been doing this for...25 years. I shouldn't be taking these courses. I should be teaching them.

I do absolutely NOTHING operationally, in a water treatment plant, that I can't do under my engineering license. Which, by the way, does not require CEU units for renewal. New stuff comes along. New regulations. New technology. I learn all of that, by necessity, and I do. And by the way, operators do the same thing, sans CEU's. The only thing I cannot do without a valid water treatment plant operator's license, is be named the responsible operator for day to day operations on a large scale water treatment plant. Which I don't do, don't want to do, and never will do. Well, I don't plan to, anyway.

Well my cert is up for renewal. Yes, I could go for another round of online crap that is basically the same material that has been addressed since day one and sure, I can knock out 36 CEUs in about a half hour if I just test out, but why.

I have done it for pride. I like operators. I like operations. Operators respect me. I respect operators. I like operators more than I like engineers, actually. But, at some point, I have to ask the question, why do it. Why continue on. It's a farce.

Maybe it does benefit the actual operators that actually operate plants, day to day. Keeps their knowledge fresh. There is a benefit to that. But...

Operators are in high demand. Really high demand. I mean, I have already stated that I don't intend on working for an agency as a named operator in responsible charge, but, I'm tired of this CEU ******** and they have just lost another senior operator due to it. I mean, I could change my mind, right.

So I guess for me, it's a resume bolster. No, it's a resume bolster for the company. I'm in wind down mode in that arena. Oh I'm not in wind down mode as an engineer, hell, I'll have to keep working until I keel over.

If I could pay someone $300 to give me a 36 hour CEU credit, no effort, I'd do it. Short of that, putting forth that effort is a waste of personal and professional time. So, I hate to say it, but Sayonara, Sacramento Arrow, Grade 4 WTO.

Here in my state, I hold a residential contractor's license. A few years ago, I sold my construction business, but I've kept the contractor's license. In order to be valid, I'm supposed to take 8 hours CEU every 3 years. I've learned that the state will allow me to renew without it...I just don't think my license is valid in practice without it. I just pay the renewal without the CEU...it keeps me from having to retake the builder's test. I'm a doctor, but taking the builder's test was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever done! I don't want to have to do it again!

 

[Sac Arrow]

Here in my state, I hold a residential contractor's license. A few years ago, I sold my construction business, but I've kept the contractor's license. In order to be valid, I'm supposed to take 8 hours CEU every 3 years. I've learned that the state will allow me to renew without it...I just don't think my license is valid in practice without it. I just pay the renewal without the CEU...it keeps me from having to retake the builder's test. I'm a doctor, but taking the builder's test was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever done! I don't want to have to do it again!

That situation would be ideal for me, if I could just pay a fee to hold my cert as valid but without the ability to practice under it. For this particular one, there are grace periods for both fee payment and CEU submission, but they are fairly short. If we were only talking about 8 hours, I'd just knock it out. But doing 36 hours is more effort than retaking the test. Now, if I had to do CEU's for my PE renewal, I guess I'd just be in a bind and have to take them. There is no way in hell I would want to retake the PE (and the California survey and seismic exams required for a civil PE, an extra 8 hours of testing.)

 

[Albany Tom]

I bought someone a pie once, in exchange for filling out my annual internal audit reports. I got yelled at it afterword...not for the pie bribe, or for blowing off the audit, but for taking time away from the other manager's employee. It was worth it, though.