Getting my CEM - Certifified Energy Manager

For the past week, I have been taking an online course from AEE, the Association of Energy Engineers.  The course is the CEM "fast track", and is required (by AEE) in order to be able to take the test to become a CEM.  You used to just be able to take the test, and if you passed it, you were in.  Now I also had to submit some credentials and experience qualfications as well, but these were formalities (at least for someone like me who has been doing engineering since Edison invented the bulb).

This "course" is a very quick run through 17 different topics including energy codes, energy economics, energy auditing, green buildings and so on.  The course is taught by one person, over Microsoft Web Meeting.  For the audio of the course, we have to dial into a separate phone line, but all our phones are muted and we cannot ask questions during the class time.  It is 2 hours/day for 6 days, thats it.  There are 72 people taking the class at on time, you can see the whole list in a window in WebMeeting.  Doing some quick math, lets see, 72 students x $1100 each for the class = $79,200.  Nice work if you can get it.  This is not some rocket science course either, it is very basic.  This cost is just for the class, no live instructor, no hotel ballroom, no tea or crossaints.  Now when you go to take the test, it's another $400.  Oh, by the way, you dont get a book either, just some PDFs you download, these cost over $30 to print.  You want a book, thats $200, a sample test, thats another $80.

Somehow the AEE has lobbied the Federal government, so that their qualifications are required on most Federal work these days, creating a "monopoly" of sorts for this cerfification.  Thus the high prices for courses, books, sample test, etc... 

Soon this will be just like LEED cerfication, 100,000 people will get this, and it will no longer have any meaning.  But here I am CEM certified, and ready to take on those energy monsters.