Passing the PE at 58 Years Old on the First Try With Jimmy Daughtry! | CEA 306

Oct 1, 2025

27:54

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If you’re in your 30s or more and think it’s “too late” to become PE, I’d like you to meet Jimmy Draughty. He passed the most brutal PE exam on the first try…and he did it at 58 years old! 😮

Since graduating, Jimmy’s worked on massive projects around the world, collected as many licenses as you can think of, and even worked for himself for about 10 years. At 58, that’d be enough, right?

Wrong!

Even with all this experience that blows all the newly licensed PEs (combined!) out of the water, he noticed the PE license still mattered big time for his career.

In this episode, he dives into his journey passing the Construction PE Exam at this later stage in life. Why the PE still matters even if you’re way past your 20s, how he (re)learned topics he hadn’t used in years…all the way to the tools and resources he used to pull this off.

If you’ve ever told yourself “it’s too late for me,” Jimmy’s story proves it’s a lie. Your age or how long you’ve been out of school doesn’t matter. What matters is the weight of having the PE license in the civil engineering world…at any stage of life.

🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN:

Why He Wanted the PE License Even at 58 Years Old!
The 2 Biggest Challenges He Faced Prepping for the PE Later in Life
How Organized (and Tracked) His Exam Prep Like a Real Project Manager
What Helped Him Get a Handle of the Topics He Hasn't Used in Decades
Should You Prioritize Experience or Pass Rates When Choosing a PE Exam?
What Caught Him Off Guard on the Construction PE That Almost Led to a Fail
How to Handle All the Codes & Standards Required for the Construction PE Exam
His Approach to Taking Practice Exams (And Doing It is a Must!)
The Reason He Wouldn't Have Passed Without a Course (And It Applies to You, Too)
His Advice at 58 Years Old to Those Who Think It's Too Late to Become a PE
How He Found Civil Engineering Academy (And Why He Chose It)