The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

Remote Work. Supply Chain issues. Rising interest rates. After all these Covid-19 side effects, what’s the state of the construction industry today? And most importantly, what’s ahead? What will change? What type of projects will boom? 🤔 That’s what Mark jumps on to talk about after attending a roundtable involving all three key players in the AEC industry. Give it a listen! 😉 Tune in to Learn: What the Utah Business Roundtable is — and why it applies everywhere else The current state of labor and wages in the construction industry (with numbers!) Today's biggest issue in the construction workforce hurting the industry A talent-seeking trend causing higher employee turnover to rise…and wages! The types of housing and commercial projects that will be booming in the future The biggest disruption in the construction world caused by COVID and its consequences How contractors dealt with long lead times and penalties for delays on projects How construction workforce preferences changed as a result of COVID Our Partners: Audible Use CIVAC for 10% off! Resources Mentioned: Utah Business Magazine Engineering Issues with Supply Chain Management (CEA Ep #134) More CEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

How about passing your PE exam on your first try but taking it twice? Confusing? 🤔 Today’s guest did just that! Ozzy Khan prepared for his PE exam for 13 months, while balancing getting married, moving to a new place, and working on the job site every day…all at the same time! He shares his exam experience, the best exam prep tips that boosted his results, and how The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course was of incredible help…in just 1 month! 😉  Tune in to Learn: How can you technically pass the PE exam on your “first” try but in fact take it twice How Ozzy balanced a new home, a new job, getting married, and studying for the PE Aspects of his 13-month PE preparation plan you can steal Differences between preparing for the PE exam while working in the field vs in the office Why engineers working in the field should get their PE license — and it's not money Must-have resources to crush the Transportation depth exam How many alternative-item types (AIT) questions can you expect on your exam? The secret to solving conceptual problems effectively How The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course helped boost his exam prep — in 1 month! 3 magic PE exam prep tips to supercharge your study journey The importance of practice exams for your exam prep Our Partner: Audible Built Bar Use CIVAC for 10% off! Resources Mentioned: The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course Civil Engineering Academy practice exams PPI School of PE Engineering Education & Training Advanced Engineering Institute Testmasters National Grid University at Buffalo Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Connect With Ozzy: LinkedIn CEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Have you ever found yourself in the job hunt even though you have an outstanding resume? Today’s guest has some insights into overcoming these types of hurdles in your career. Craig Callewaert is an experienced engineer with lots of initials after his name. In this episode, he shares the lessons he learned as engineer and manager at big companies, as well as his views on the modern, software-based hiring process. Tune in to Learn: The pros and cons of going down the management route vs the engineering route What skills do engineers need to become people and project managers? The easiest and most difficult types of people to manage The biggest impact of having a PE license on your career — and it's not the money The rules of today's hiring process you should play by for you to land a job 2 job searching tips you cannot neglect for your own good Why your years of experience may not help you as much in today's job hunt scenario Why working for bigger companies can be better than working for smaller contractors Two reasons for getting an MBA as an engineer — plus one choice to make beforehand Our Partner: AudibleBuilt Bar Resources Mentioned: PMP CertificationVolvo Construction Equipment Connect With Craig: LinkedInCEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Today’s guest is living (and licensed) proof the way to pass your PE exam is by putting in the work. Period. With unconventional study hours and techniques most people would call “crazy,” Tharanga Dissanayaka passed his PE exam as a repeat taker on his second try. Is it really crazy — or crazy-brilliant? Tune in to Learn: The insane daily schedule he used to balance PE prep, full-time job, and family Is the PE exam easier for those with a master's or Ph.D.? 3 PE preparation tips guaranteed to help you pass as a repeat taker How to properly combine preparing for the breadth and your particular depth section Should you work out similar practice problems or skip them? The best resources he used to ace the geotech depth exam How CEA’s PE exam prep course helped him pass his exam as a repeat taker The 2 most crucial elements of the course that made a huge difference for him Job opportunities at his current company you'll want to look at Our Partner: Audible Resources Mentioned: Engineering Consulting Services (ECS) Missouri University of Science and Technology Texas Tech University NCEES PE Civil: Geotechnical Practice Exam Six-Minute Solutions for the Civil PE Exam (Geotech) Connect With Tharanga: LinkedIn Facebook CEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Today’s guest is Cal Poly professor Dr. Hani Alzraiee. Prior to academia, he spent 17+ years working as an engineer and project manager in heavy and complex projects in the oil and gas industry. In this episode, he talks about what he learned from his own experience, both in school and in the field, that you can apply to your own career. Tune in to Learn: The 2 biggest threats to labor productivity and your project's timeline A must-have in school so you can have a successful career afterwards What BIM really is — and how it'll change the future of civil engineering projects What is the PMP certification and how it can be valuable to your civil engineering career The best time to get your FE exam done Why you should have the PE license…even if you don't need it for your particular role His switch into the academic world — and how you can do the same if you want to The challenges of being a university professor you didn't know about Our Partners:Built Bar Namecheap Resources Mentioned:Cal Poly UniversityPMP CertificationDr. Hani Alzraiee's Paper Connect With Dr. Hani:LinkedIn Cal Poly's Faculty Page CEA Resources:WebsiteThe Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review CourseThe Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review CoursesFE and PE Practice ExamsFree Facebook CommunityYouTube ChannelFree NewsletterInstagramTwitterisaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Experienced Dam Engineer Tara McFarland shares her own journey of burnout and recovery. She discusses the lack of training in an important aspect of engineering, tips to identify and deal with burnout, how to talk to your boss about it, the key to effective leadership, and her top career advice for entry-level engineers.

How to solve the underrepresentation of women in STEM? According to today’s guest, by introducing girls to the field while still at a young age. Jamila Thompson is a civil engineer working in the tech industry who wrote the book Girls Can Be Engineers to empower girls to pursue a career in which gender stereotypes prevent them from even considering it. Tune in to Learn: Jamila's journey as a woman of color going from civil engineering to the tech industry 2 tips for young girls and women alike on how to build a career in STEM The most underrated way to find a career that's a good fit for you Can you have a successful engineering career without being good at math and science? The challenges of getting into civil engineering as a woman — and how to get over them How a situation when tutoring high school students inspired her to write her book What she does today working at Meta with a degree in Civil Engineering Why an engineering degree can open many doors for you — even outside engineering The mindset girls and women should have when getting into engineering Our Partners: Built Bar (Use code CIVAC for 10% off) Resources Mentioned: Girls Can Be Engineers Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Manhattan College Meta Connect With Jamila: Website LinkedIn CEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Stormwater is one of the many little-known sub-fields you can get into as a civil engineer. Is it a good fit for you? Today’s guest has all the answers. Jillian Berbakov is a stormwater engineer who graduated college with a business degree at 16, switched to engineering later on, and passed her PE exam as a full-time working mom! Tune in to Learn: Jillian's path graduating college in business at 16 and then switching to engineering How she passed the PE Exam as a working mom — as how you can too What does a stormwater engineer do? What software tools do they use? How climate change is (re)shaping stormwater design work and projects The biggest challenge of working in the stormwater industry – and it’s non-technical What other engineering disciplines does stormwater engineering run into? Future trends in the stormwater engineering field you need to know before going into it Why you need your PE license to advance your career — and it’s not money-related How a business degree can help your engineering career (Yes, you read that right!) Jillian's top 2 pieces of advice for younger engineers just getting started The PE Civil Exam versus the Environmental PE Exam: Which one should you take? Our Partners: Built Bar (Use code CIVAC for 10% off) Resources Mentioned: NCEES PE Environmental Practice Exam NCEES PE Civil Practice Exam (Water Resources and Environmental) Black+Decker Stantec Florida Department of Transportation Automated Storm Sewer Analysis & Design (ASAD) ICPR-4 OpenRoads Designer (ORD) FLO-2D HEC-RAS HY-8 AECOM Army Corps of Engineers School of PE Connect With Jillian: jillian.berbakov@burgessniple.com LinkedIn

Have you been out of school for some time and think it makes it impossible for you to pass your exams? Think again! Today’s guest is Will Ludgate, who passed his FE exam after 9 years out of school. In this episode, he gives you the tools and techniques that worked for him to help you get the same result, whether you graduated 1, 10, or 20 years ago. Tune in to Learn: Will’s 9-year journey going from construction to living in a trailer to passing the FE An FE preparation timeline you can steal to give you the best chance of getting it done 2 preparation tips for those that have been out of school for some time How to increase your familiarity with the exam and improve your time management The ideal moment in your preparation to take a CBT practice exam How Will found The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course — and why you should join too A simple technique to get you motivated to study and pass the FE once and for all A surprise that caught Will off guard on exam day you should be aware of Our Partners: Audible Built Bar (Use code CIVAC for 10% off) Resources Mentioned: Civil 3D Software Bucknell University NCEES FE Reference Handbook CEA Resources: Website The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course The Ultimate Civil PE Depth Review Courses FE and PE Practice Exams Free Facebook Community YouTube Channel Free Newsletter Instagram Twitter isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Guest Ed Quesenberry discusses the We See Above and Beyond campaign, aiming to raise awareness of structural engineering. They explore the establishment of the NCSEA, collaborations with other associations, and the importance of communication in the industry. The campaign highlights the lack of recognition of structural engineers in the public and efforts to address this through branding and marketing. Also, the benefits of joining the NCSEA and their support for practicing engineers are discussed.