Panos Bakos
Why did you decide to apply for an ASHRAE certification?
The firm I currently work for wanted to get more involved with Energy Benchmarking projects required by the City of Chicago. One of the Ordinance's requirements was to demonstrate having certain qualifications/credentials in order to be able to participate. That was when I decided to become BEAP-certified.
At this stage in your career, why is it important to get ASHRAE certified?
As in any stage of my career, I believe it is important to illustrate the knowledge I am gaining through my exposure in various projects and tasks. Getting certified is the best way to demonstrate your experience is acknowledged as well as differentiate yourself from the rest of the working professionals.
How important is ASHRAE certification to your employer and clients?
There are certain clients that require a particular skillset for their projects as well as employers that want to make sure the project's quality is assured. Therefore, ASHRAE certifications provide good experience metrics that are valuable to both the employers and the clients.
Harris Farooq
Why did you decide to apply for an ASHRAE certification?
ASHRAE is the most recognized standard when it comes to mechanical engineering and once I heard about the certification programs ASHRAE offers, I was extremely interested in pursuing the healthcare facility design (HFDP) certification. Being a member of ASHRAE and part of YEA, I could see nothing better than having "ASHRAE Certified" attached to my name.
At this stage in your career, why is it important to get ASHRAE certified?
I think for young engineers trying to prove their mettle in one of most competitive industries, i.e building design and construction, it’s important to create delineating factors which help us stand out from the competition. At this stage in my career, having previously designed major regional hospitals, I sought to further cement my place via this certification. Certifications, nowadays, complement formal further education, like a Master's degree, which can be more theoretical in nature. Trade-specific, expertise-based certifications carry a lot of weight and are generally well received in the market. That is why I opted for an ASHRAE Certification.
How important is ASHRAE certification to your employer and clients?
ASHRAE certification is gaining popularity in the UAE market with more and more people opting to get certified. The certification carries a benchmark of quality that is associated with ASHRAE and gives the client confidence that the design engineer is fully adept with the codes and standards of practice. We have also been using the certification actively in our company marketing and as part of our profile which creates a distinct advantage for us and is proving to be one of the tools that helps us win over competition.
Saad Rashid
Why did you decide to apply for an ASHRAE certification?
I am a Commissioning and Sustainability Consultant and ASHRAE forms a large foundation on many of the fundamentals of these fields. It was important for me to become intimately acquainted with the ASHRAE standards and I felt that the ASHRAE Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP) certification would be a good test of my knowledge.
At this stage in your career, why is it important to get ASHRAE certified?
I am a strong advocate of continuous self-improvement and keeping up to date with the latest in research and technology. As a young professional it is important to set and achieve quantifiable milestones in order to progress and stay involved in your professional work; ASHRAE certification has helped me do that.
How important is ASHRAE certification to your employer and clients?
ASHRAE is a very well recognized and respected organization in the industry and a certification through it holds considerable attraction to employers and clients. For employers it is a sign of employee ambition and for clients it provides an assurance in the services being provided as being standardized and up to industry standards.