For those with the opportunity/time, this is an unprecedented opportunity to add to your professional bona fides due to all the excess time on hand and the fact that most States & Municipalities have discounted or waived fees for most if not all their Certification programs. When I graduated from college with dual degrees in Civil & Architectural Engineering, I couldn't wait to get to work actually building something. Many of my classmates went into design and thus on track for their EIT (Engineer In Training as it was called in '99) and eventually PE Licences. I found my "comfort zone" somewhere in between the draft table and the construction site. An Engineer in the field could interpret and thus identify an error in foundation reinforcement drawings, take the necessary actions to get it resolved in time to illustrate or explain the fix in time for concrete pour. The job site required time management, contract management, practical knowledge and most of all compassion! I excelled at Construction Management (CM) and decided to get my Masters in CM from Florida International University however my real life experience as a young PM surpassed class lectures. I wouldn't trade a second of my past 15 years of experience (subcontract mgmt, LEED AP, OSHA, concrete pours before sunrise, bldg. inspectors) for anything but I am ready to enhance it. I have since dusted off my college physics and math books only to be reminded of the discomfort of change.
