My EE husband had no idea what his future jobs would entail. He could have ended up never needing a PE. As it happens, he is the sign off for many many government funded jobs, state, local and federal. Thus he needs his PE. His company also pays a dividend to PE holders.
These are things he would have had NO clue about as an undergrad. His college of engineering advised everyone to aim for the PE. They all took the EIT (now a different name) to plan for every possibility.