A Real Case of Professional Misconduct That Sparked an Ethics Firestorm

Nov 5, 2025

25:37

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Picture this — you spend months working on the design and construction of a project, and next thing you know, another engineer is on the news poking holes in it for everybody to see. How'd you feel? 🤔

In this episode, we dive into a situation like this that happened in real life in a state highway project. What started as a difference in technical opinion only became a full-blown ethics investigation…that even resulted in formal disciplinary action! 😮

This story is a perfect reminder that being a civil engineer isn’t just about being good at the technical craft only. Instead, it’s also about ethical conduct — professionalism, integrity, and knowing when (and how) to speak up.

The problem? Most engineers don’t take the ASCE Code of Ethics seriously. They feel like it’s one of those things that “only matter in theory.”

Well, it may be…until it doesn’t. And this real-life situation makes it pretty clear.

If you’ve ever questioned the importance of ethics in real-world practice — not just on the FE or PE exams — this one’s a must-listen. All of us deal with it. Project after project.

So, tune in to learn from this real case and make sure you never end up on the wrong side of the ethics line.

🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN:

The Story Behind This Real-Life Ethical Misconduct in a Nutshell (And How It Ended)
Why This Misconduct Violated 2 Canons of the ASCE Code of Ethics
Is It a Problem to Have Other Engineers Review Your Work?
What Not to Do When Reviewing Another Engineer's Work
Why It's 100x Easier Today to Make the Same Ethical Mistake
The Canon of the ASCE Code of Ethics That You Need to Live By
What's a Letter of Censure?
The Biggest Take Away of This Real-Life Case
The One Time Mark Got "Called Out" for His Design (And What He Did)
How to Review the Work of Other Engineers Correctly
What Should You Do When Less Experienced Engineers Call You Out?
3 Guardrails to Handle Professional Disagreements Ethically
2 Tricks to Deal With Criticism of Your Work Without Hurting Your Reputation
The Ethics Topic on Your Professional Exams