The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

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.

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