Taking on Additional Responsibility as NICET 3?

10/11/2024

I have 18 years of experience in sprinkler design, and I have a NICET Level 3 certification.

The company I work for is asking me to hold the License in three states because the previous holder is leaving. I have read the verbiage stating I would be responsible for everything, including the contracts. That seems scary to me.

In your opinion, is the additional responsibility worth it, money-wise?

I don't want to sell myself short, but I also want to be fair.

Do you have any suggestions or tips on how I should be thinking about this?

Thanks in advance.

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6 Comments

Jesse

10/11/2024 08:32:49 am

More reponsibility can seem daunting, especially crossing state lines.

I oversee all of my company's technical aspects of automatic sprinkler with hte exception of inspections as inspectors hold their own licenses.It can be pretty overwhelming at times.

But I do think that its worth it, for me. Unfortunately, this isn;t one of those cut and dried answers where we can point to something clearly in the code and say "this way is the path forward".

This new role may mean overnight travel, time away from family, missed events with kids, etc. Or maybe none of that. For me, I worked in Insurane High Protected Risk for al long time. It involved a ton of travel. Like 200K airmiles a year. and i missed a lot of stuff and I'm not sure it was worth it. But, it DID give me the level of expertise I have now which has led to a lot of great opportunities.

Best of luck figuring out your path aahead!

Chad

10/11/2024 08:33:23 am

You need to get Ken Kirshenbaum’s qualified license holder agreement. If the company won’t pay the $1500 for the agreement, you should. That thing is written so well, you will sleep like a baby.

Make sure you’re being paid for each state you hold a license and not just one flat fee. Ask around in your state and find out what the going rate is for each and don’t get nickel and dimed.

Glenn Berger

10/11/2024 09:08:34 am

It all depends on what you want to do in your career. As far as legal requirements, get your employer to cover this issue in complete.

Jack G

10/11/2024 09:26:43 am

I m with Glenn. And make sure you are included under the companies Umbrella insurance . A mechanical/ fire sprinkler contractors insurance must have 20 million in Pennsylvania, 10 million in Jersey, 10 million in Delaware.
Most for jobs / specs is 2-5 million including prevailing wage, but states requirements supersede.
Plain fire sprinkler contractors only carry 2 million.

ANONYMOUS

10/14/2024 09:07:45 am

I don't think this is a right or wrong answer and there are plenty of smart people in both boats, but this is a reasonable process I would go through: 1. Read the NICET code of ethics. https://www.nicet.org/about-us/code-of-ethics/ 2. Read the state licensure literature to familiarize yourself with the expectations of the DQI, RME, etc. 3. Determine the time/effort/stress/liability that those things entail in your specific situation (this varies greatly based on the type of work you do and the way your company operates). 4. Determine the value to your company and the value they're willing to compensate you with for your contribution. 5. Decide if the money is worth the change of time/effort/stress/liability to you.

Ricardo Gonzales Jr

10/14/2024 09:50:08 am

Good answers all. I ran my own International Engineering Firm for 17 years. It was worth it. Just remember the devil is in the details. Don't be afraid to ask any questions on items that are unclear. Not asking the questions will bite you later.

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Taking on Additional Responsibility as NICET 3?

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