The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

There are many career paths in the government sector within the US. But what about a career in the government sector doing work abroad? That’s what John Pitts does as the Director of Civil and Structural Engineering at the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations. These are the people constructing the buildings used by US Government representatives outside the US. Tune in to Learn: Two career paths for civil engineers you've probably never been told before What does a civil engineer do working at the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations? The benefits and challenges of working in the government sector How John got started in the government sector — and how you can too The most common problem when building structures in foreign countries What procedures and standards should you adhere to when building overseas? Is your PE License necessary when working overseas for the US government? A trend in civil engineering education that is (finally) changing for the better Our Partner: Audible Resources Mentioned: Texas A&M University Camp Lejeune, North Carolina US Navy civil Engineering Corps Huitt-Zollars, Inc. Dallas Rail Rapid Transit Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Program US Army Corps of Engineers National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency International Building Code Connect With John: John's LinkedIn Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) Website List of Firms on OBO’s Design & Construction Teams Careers at OBO OBO’s LinkedIn OBO’s Facebook OBO’s Instagram OBO’s Twitter 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

You probably never heard this before: someone switching from a pre-med track to civil engineering. Well, today’s guest did just that…all the way to getting his PE license. In this episode, Matt Fanghella details his own journey to passing his exam as a repeat taker, and the little-known process to officially get your license and use those “PE initials after your name. Tune in to Learn: Matt's unconventional path into civil engineering What does a Coastal Engineer do? What the $2.3 billion Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project is Should you change your depth section if you've failed your PE exam? 2 Tips to to pass your PE exam as a repeat taker What Matt enjoyed the most about The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course What to do now to make the PE license application easier after you pass the PE exam The process to officially get your license after you pass your exam How long does it take from passing your PE exam to becoming a PE? 4 reasons why you should consider getting into Water Resources Differences between working in the government sector vs the private sector Matt's top 4 resources to help you advance in your career Our Partner: Built Bar - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/built Resources Mentioned: Best PE Exam Prep Course, by Test Prep Insight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VntlmKWKj4k Failed the FE or PE Exam, Now What? - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/failed-the-fe-or-pe-exam-now-what CEA Episode #108 (Grady Hillhouse) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEyRzVXuGPE The Ultimate PE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/breadth The Ultimate FE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/fe-exam NCEES-Approved Calculators - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/resources-page/approved-calculators FE/PE Reference Handbook - https://account.ncees.org/login Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project - https://www.norfolk.gov/5282/United-States-Army-Corps-of-Engineers-US US Army Corp of Engineers - https://www.usace.army.mil ASCE - https://asce.org Water Environmental Federation (WEF) - https://www.wef.org Practical Engineering YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@PracticalEngineeringChannel Old Dominion University - https://www.odu.edu James Madison University - https://www.jmu.edu CEA Resources: The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com

Today, Brandon Mcgill, a recruiter with NES, jumps on the show to talk about his work matching civil engineers with their dream jobs in the field — and how working with a recruiter gives you a competitive advantage. Tune in to Learn: Do any engineers go into the recruitment industry? Hint: It's not what you think How a recruiter can help you in the negotiating process with a company Why you should use a recruiter to find a job instead of applying for it on your own Why companies should also use recruiters to find the right candidates for their positions When you can experience the biggest pay increases in your career...ever How to land your dream job — by a recruiter who's helped hundreds land theirs The importance of a good resume — and why it’s just the first step An industry trend making it easier to have career growth while still young The type of civil engineering candidate Brandon's company is on the hunt for right now Our Partner: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible Connect With Brandon: National Engineering Search (NES) - https://nes-llc.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmcgill CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy Free Newsletter - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/newsletter Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theceacademy Twitter - https://twitter.com/civilengacad Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Why are fewer people getting into civil engineering when the numbers show they will be needed more than ever? Today, we’ll dive into the current state of the civil engineering job market and the aspects that play a significant role in it. From college education and possible education alternatives to salary issues and future trends. Tune in to Learn: The surprising number of engineers that will be needed each year for the next decade The reason younger generations are avoiding getting into engineering programs Why "money" alone is not an excuse not to go to engineering school — and how to do it Is learning a trade a better option than becoming an engineer? The lack of technical knowledge of today's graduates Salary issues in civil engineering — and what today's numbers show for the future Are civil engineers satisfied with their work? Should you leave your company based on better pay alone? Our Partners: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible Built Bar - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/built Resources Mentioned: ASCE Article - shorturl.at/hwAG8 Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act - shorturl.at/fmqV7 CEA #110: Construction Engineering Degree - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/cea110 University of Utah - https://www.utah.edu CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy Free Newsletter - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/newsletter Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theceacademy Twitter - https://twitter.com/civilengacad Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Thinking of heading down the management path in the engineering world? Today’s guest has done just that! Jake Adkins has the most down-to-earth pieces of advice on the good and bad of going from a technical engineer to an engineering manager. Give this a listen and apply these to your own career. Tune in to Learn: What it really takes to be an engineering manager — and it’s not the job title The 3 biggest challenges you’ll face when you go from engineer to manager Does the management route pay more than the engineering route? 2 ways your relationship with coworkers change when you become a manager How to correctly praise (and criticize) those on your team whenever needed How speaking up can help you make better decisions over the course of your career Why do all engineers need to learn sales? (Hint: Yes, you do!) Is your GPA really important in the hiring process? Our Partner: Built Bar - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/built Resources Mentioned: Unwritten Laws of Engineering, by W. J. King - AMAZON Stuff Matters, by Mark Miodownik - AMAZON Clemson University - http://www.clemson.edu Connect With Jake: Website - https://www.thejakeadkins.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeadkins CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy Free Newsletter - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/newsletter Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theceacademy

If you’ve ever had any hint, sign, or desire to learn more about Geotechnical Engineering, then today’s guest is your guy! Siavash Zamiran is a geotechnical engineer himself with 15+ years of experience, an adjunct professor, and today he tells you what life as a geotechnical engineer really looks like and what it entails. Tune in to Learn: Why most engineers don't even consider going into Geotech — and how to solve it The main areas you can get into within geotech (Hint: one has never occurred to you!) How to make a decision on which engineering discipline better suits you One 3D computational technique facilitating geotechnical works The software tools you need to master as a geotechnical engineer One online platform packed with geotechnical engineering resources and training How the 80/20 Principle can help you ace your PE Geotechnical Depth Exam Sia's favorite books you should read to learn what school doesn’t teach you Resources Mentioned: Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, by Braja M. Das - AMAZON Itasca Consulting Group - https://www.itascacg.com FLAC2D - https://www.itascacg.com/software/flac2d FLAC3D - https://www.itascacg.com/software/flac3d PLAXIS - https://www.bentley.com/software/plaxis-3d Ansys - https://www.ansys.com Abaqus - https://www.3ds.com/products-services/simulia/products/abaqus Petrel - https://www.software.slb.com/products/petrel The 12-Week Year, by Brian Mora - AMAZON Deep Work, by Cal Newport - AMAZON Digital Minimalism, Cal NewPort - AMAZON Southern Illinois University - https://siu.edu St. Louis University - https://www.slu.edu Missouri University of Science and Technology - https://www.mst.edu Delft University of Technology - https://www.tudelft.nl/en Connect With Siavash Zamiran: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zamiran Mohr Academy - https://www.mohracademy.com CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com

Today, to wrap up our “Deep Dive” podcast series, we take a look at the Water Resources Depth Exam. We break down the specification into its details so you know what you need to study, and point you to where you can find the resources to help you over-prepare for it…and pass it! Tune in to Learn: What's the minimum amount of prep time you need for the PE Exam? Is the majority of the exam questions still multiple-choice? How many theory questions should you expect on the PE exam? The 8 topics you need to know for the breadth section The 9 in-depth Water Resources topics for the PM portion The only 2 design standards you'll need for the Water Resources depth exam Surprising (and favorable) pass rates for both first-time and repeat test-takers 2 tips to help you decide what depth exam to take..if you haven’t yet. Our Partner: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible Resources Mentioned: Water Resources Spec - https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Civ-WRE-April-2022_r2.pdf Construction Exam (Episode #159) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msg8mzjyxd8 Geotechnical Exam (Episode #160) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMyXSUC6WEw Structural Exam (Episode #161) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh_B7C3GJJk Transportation Exam (Episode #162) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MtL_96CwLs Resources - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/water-resources-engineering-books/ Water Resources Practice Exam - https://gum.co/uXqg PE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/depth-exam NCEES Website - https://ncees.org NCEES YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCEESMedia Pass Rates - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates PPI - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi School of PE - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/sope Pearson Vue - https://home.pearsonvue.com/ CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy Free Newsletter - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/newsletter

In another episode of our “Deep Dive” series, we examine the PE Transportation Depth Exam. From the general civil engineering topics for the breadth portion to the more in-depth transportation topics, codes, and standards required for the depth portion, as well as the best resources to use, you have it all broken down right here! Tune in to Learn: The overall PE exam experience An overview of the exam specifications 8 breadth topics you need to know regardless of your chosen depth section 10 in-depth transportation topics (and sub-topics) for the PM portion The 9 codes and standards required — and how to use them on exam day The best transportation resources to help you ace the PM portion of your exam The transportation exam’s surprising pass rates — for both first-time and repeat takers Our Partner: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible Resources Mentioned: Transportation Exam Specs - https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Civ-Tran-April-2022_r3.pdf Construction Exam (Episode #159) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msg8mzjyxd8 Geotechnical Exam (Episode #160) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMyXSUC6WEw Geotechnical Exam (Episode #161) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh_B7C3GJJk Interview with Tim Miller (Episode #51) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMS11n5s3yY Resources - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/transportation-engineering-books Transportation Depth Practice Exam - https://gum.co/tsBg PE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/depth-exam PPI - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi School of PE - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/sope NCEES Website - https://ncees.org NCEES YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCEESMedia Pass Rates - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy Free Newsletter - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

Are you in the structural engineering arena? Then you’ll regret not giving this a listen. Today, on another episode of our “deep dive” series, we cover the PE Structural Depth Exam. We dive deep into the details of the specs, how to prepare for it, the best resources available out there, the pass rates, etc. We cover it all…right here! Tune in to Learn: The overall PE structural exam experience and what it looks like Can NCEES ask you something that's not in the specifications? And will they? Are theory questions a big part of the PE structural depth exam? 8 breadth topics you need to know regardless of your chosen depth section 3 structural topics (and their subtopics) to study for the PM structural depth portion The 10 codes you'll need to know — and how to use them on exam day The best resources to over-prepare you for the structural depth exam Pass rates for both first-time and repeat test takers How to build an effective study schedule you'll stick to Our Partners: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible Built Bar - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/built Resources Mentioned: Construction Exam Episode (#159) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msg8mzjyxd8 Geotechnical Exam Episode (#160) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMyXSUC6WEw Structural Resources - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/structural-engineering-books Structural Depth Practice Exam - https://gum.co/FxMa PE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/depth-exam Structural Exam Specs - https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Civ-Str-April-2022_r3.pdf PPI - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi School of PE - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/sope NCEES Website - https://ncees.org NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook - https://account.ncees.org/login NCEES YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCEESMedia PE Exam Pass Rates - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates SE Exam - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe-structural OSHA - https://www.osha.gov Pearson VUE - https://home.pearsonvue.com CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@CivilEngAcademy

This is our second episode in our “deep dive” series. And this time, it’s all about the geotechnical depth exam! If you're gearing up to take that one, this is for you. We dive into everything you need to know about it, from the overall exam experience to the topics and codes that need to be top of mind on exam day. Tune in to Learn: The overall exam experience: how much it costs, where you take it, the exam structure What the geotechnical PE civil exam really looks like A big part of the geotech exam today that didn’t use to be a “big deal” in the past The 8 breadth topics you need to know regardless of your chosen depth exam The 10 in-depth geotechnical topics you need to internalize for you depth section Which geotech-related codes and standards do you need for your depth exam? The best resources to over-prepare you for the geotech exam — and where to find them The surprising pass rates for both first-time and repeat test takers Our Partners: Audible - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/audible PPI - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi School of PE - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/sope Resources Mentioned: Construction Exam Episode (#159) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msg8mzjyxd8 Geotechnical Exam Specs - https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Civ-Geo-April-2022_r2.pdf Geotech Resources - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/geotechnical-engineering-books Geotech Depth Practice Exam - https://gum.co/ZLbi PE CBT Exam Simulator - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/depth-exam NCEES Website - https://ncees.org NCEES YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCEESMedia PE Exam Pass Rates - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates OSHA - https://www.osha.gov U.S. Department of Labor - https://www.dol.gov US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - https://www.usace.army.mil US Department of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) - https://highways.dot.gov ASCE - https://www.asce.org Pearson VUE - https://home.pearsonvue.com CEA Resources: Website - https://civilengineeringacademy.com The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com FE and PE Practice Exams - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/exams Free Facebook Community - https://ceacommunity.com Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com