Professional Certifications: Give Up or Maintain in Retirement?

[38Chevy454]

Just curious what you did if you had some type of professional certification or license, what did you do after retirement? Let it go, keep it current, other?


I am an engineer and had my Professional Engineer (P.E.) license for almost the whole time I was working. Took (and passed) the test as soon as I could once I started working. Never needed it as a strict job requirement, but it was good brownie points on the resume. I let it lapse once I retired. It was $150 every 2 years, and with no plans to need it for work it was no longer justified expense.

 

[Lewis Clark]

My wife had a professional certification. She renewed it one time after she retired, just in case she needed it. After that, she let it expire.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I decided to give up my PEs in various states as soon as I FIREd by letting them expire. I have no need for them in retirement and don’t care to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year on continuing education. My states didn’t have retired statuses unless one was at least 65, I think. I didn’t care either way.

I get that a PE is a source of pride (I sure was proud of earning it) but from a purely practical perspective I didn’t see the need to hassle with keeping it.

 

[CardsFan]

I gave up all my construction licenses and out of state PE licenses. But for $30 I can put my MO PE license in "inactive" status, and do not need complete the the annual continuing education requirements.

Ego thing? maybe?

 

[braumeister]

As long as I can keep them off my lawn, I think my curmudgeon license remains in effect. No problem there!

 

[Aerides]

I put it in the same category as work clothes. Keep the stuff you really like for a year or two...just in case. Then let it all go.

 

[Gumby]

At the end of 2019, after 7 months of retirement, I was granted retired status in the three states where I am admitted to practice. All I need to do is keep filing the yearly registration forms. It saves me several hundred bucks a year and is another issue I no longer have to worry about. I can return to active status if I want, but I hope I never need to.

 

[Chuckanut]

I let me teaching certificate expire after it retired. Since I had no intention of working again, taking 150 hours of classes at my expense (time and money) to renew the certificate made it a no-brainer.

 

[skyking1]

My crane operator certifications expire this year, so I'll be renewing them for five more. Same goes for my commercial driver's license I'll have to pay for that one one more time and it's also a five year.
I voted for keep them current.

 

[Car-Guy]

Like most polls, I really couldn't vote since none of the options fit....


I had several. One was good for life, one I let lapse when it expired and one I officially converted to "retired" status.

 

[Car-Guy]

I let me teaching certificate expire after it retired.

Let me guess... You taught grammar....

 

[pb4uski]

My wife had a professional certification. She renewed it one time after she retired, just in case she needed it. After that, she let it expire.

Exactly what I did. One and then done.

 

[Ronstar]

I had a professional land surveyor registration and a couple of highway projects still in the eminent domain courts when I retired.

I transferred my license to retired status when it was time to renew 6 months after retiring. Then one of my ongoing projects went to court and I needed to provide testimony. So I had to renew my license to active status before testifying.

I again transferred my license to retired status upon the next renewal date. Luckily my last ongoing project was settled out of court, so there was no need to testify or to renew active.

I should be done for good now 7 years into retirement.

 

[Dhickman57]

Renewed State certificate one term (2 years) after retirement. Had opportunity to utilize after retirement, said WHY? Let it lapse after that.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Maintained my active CPA license for one cycle after calling it quits. Then shifted license to CPA Retired status. This still costs me $50 every two years, but no longer need to maintain Continuing Education credits. But still get to represent myself in public as "CPA Retired".

 

[Souschef]

I have maintained my amateur radio license, in case I ever get active again. I let my flight instructor lapse when I found out I would have to give 50 hours of instruction just to pay for the insurance.

 

[pjm-7]

I renewed my various financial professional licenses/designations right before I retired. That kept most of them active for about two years. I also completed any continuing education while still working. All of this went on the company's dime. I wanted to keep them for awhile just in case I decided to go back to work. In time as they came up for renewal I just let them lapse.

 

[Venturer]

I am ASE certified but next year when it comes time to take the test & renew it I'll let it expire since I'll not be needing it any more.

 

[USGrant1962]

I let my never-used PE drop to "inactive" status when I moved from TN to MD 15 years ago. I think that was $140 every two years so I could have "PE, inactive" on my resume. I let it expire when I retired.

I have a cool stamp though!

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Still working, and the only one I'm concerned with is my security clearance. Once that goes away, it can be very difficult to get it back. It's the main ticket required for my line of work.

 

[athena53]

I'm an actuary and fortunately, my professional organization doesn't require that retired members pay dues. I'm very proud of that credential- it took 8 years of blood, sweat, tears and toil to get through the exams while working FT, and it opened many doors. I do have to get on the Web site and certify that I have not kept up with Continuing Ed requirements because I'm no longer doing actuarial work.

And they did start requiring us to pay a discounted fee for attending meetings- it used to be free but so many baby boomer retirees were showing up and enjoying the open bar and generous hors d'oeuvres at the evening receptions as well as the included breakfasts that they were losing too much money on us.

I'm also a CPCU (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter). That took far less study and they require that in order to remain on the rolls after retirement you have to pay $85 every 2 years. Not gonna happen.

 

[pacergal]

I've renewed my Nursing license every two years, just did in 2020.
Letting it lapse in 2022, I am done after this last stint back On Call.

 

[Freedom56]

My wife has been maintaining her nursing license during early retirement (she is now 52). She has to complete a fixed number of continuing education credits every two years and some mandatory courses and pay her fees. She has been giving COVID-19 inoculations at a Cedars Sinai facility for the past two weeks. She was asked by her former employer to assist with the effort.

 

[sengsational]

My wife used to collect free CE credits for a while too, in order to keep active, but gave that up after 20 years, hehehe.


I let mine expire when it would no longer get me a better position (my actual work and cert diverged).

 

[youbet]

I let my QC certificate expire because the professional society required too much CE effort. Without points for being employed in the field, the number of classes I would have needed to attend was just too much of a pita.

I still have my production and inventory control certificate because it's in a "retired" status requiring no periodic payments or CE points.

When I RE'd 15 years ago, I really thought I'd do some consulting. But, shortly into RE, the Great Depression hit killing opportunities in manufacturing. By the time things picked up again, I'd been out of action far too long to snag anything worthwhile.