Being a Certified Reliability Engineer, while it doesn’t promise you the job of a PR or a Systems Engineer, can be a very rewarding career choice. The job of a certified reliability engineer, is to improve an existing system and make it more reliable. They do this by either writing code to automate or testing systems to ensure that they are robust and efficient. Some call these Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) – Certified System Engineers. Regardless, there is only one difference between a Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) and a Systems Engineer (SFE).

When we were young, we always heard about our instructors being “fired” for showing off in class. In many ways, this rings true – no matter how well a person performs in their given field of study, or how good their certification is; if they don’t stay professional and keep their job, they’ll lose it before they graduate. As it is, engineers are held to a higher standard than most fields, and if you show your lack of competence with a certification exam, or if you show your ignorance of real-world problems, you will not be welcomed into the engineering world. Many companies won’t even consider hiring someone who isn’t certified.

This is why taking the proper courses, getting your training from a qualified source, and passing the certification exams can be worth more than a million dollars to you as an engineer. Yet, many choose to just take the certification exams without further learning. They may be able to save a couple bucks by doing so, but they will be paying for it for years to come. As an engineer, you will want to continue to grow in your career. You will eventually run out of time that allows you to take more exams.

On top of not knowing what you are doing, the certification exams are confusing. Not only do you have to know the answer to seemingly simple questions, you also have to know why the engineer chose one answer for a particular situation. Sometimes this can be a bit tricky. With these exams, you can avoid costly mistakes by making sure you know all the answers before you answer the certification exam.

Some engineers make the mistake of answering the questions regarding a specific product question incorrectly. Even though a particular company has a perfectly legitimate reason for asking questions regarding a specific product, an incorrect answer could cause the company to be held liable for mistakes made by their employees. If an employee is hurt because of the incorrect answer, then it is likely that the company will be held liable. An employee can be fired for incorrect answers on these questions.

You may also encounter engineers who try to give advice to you concerning a specific problem they encountered while working on a certain project. While it can be helpful to seek advice from an expert, most people don’t know enough about the field to ask a general question about a product. An incorrect opinion could cost the company a lot of money if it should have caused the engineer to pick another option. An incorrect answer could cause the project to be delayed or even lost. This is why it is important to ask certified reliability engineer questions regarding a specific area only. If an employee gives you advice on a topic without fully understanding the issue, you should consider questioning them further.

An important thing to note when interviewing individuals for a certification is to take the time to find out their educational history. The engineering field is a growing field and certified professionals are needed more than ever. Ask any questions you have regarding this to ensure that the person is qualified to help you with your project. Don’t trust anyone at any job site without first finding out their background.

When interviewing certified reliability engineers, you should ensure that the questions you are being asked are appropriate to the type of job they are answering. Make sure you are asking questions that pertain to the job they are answering. Taking the time to learn about each certified reliability professional’s education and training can be the difference between making an excellent decision and hiring someone that will not give you the answers you need.