The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

Do you do annual reviews to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and what’s next? 🤔 We do! In this episode, we review the year of 2024 here at CEA…and what we have in the pipeline for you! 😉 Using the SWOT analysis, we dive into all our positive and negative points in 2024, as well as all the opportunities and threats we see moving forward — both to CEA and the civil engineering industry as a who...

Picture this: you’re 50 years into your career, have done all types of work all over the world, have your Master’s, a PhD, and the CEng. Time to hang up your boots, right? 🤔 Wrong!! ❌ For this fascinating interview, Alberto Ortigão jumps on the show to talk about his journey to pass the #PE Exam in the US…after everything he’s already achieved and done in his 50-year-plus geotechnical career! ✅...

Would you choose a career based on its similarities with…wait for it…chess?! 😯 That’s why Lokesh Palani chose Construction Management, but you don’t have to be a pro chess player to win this game. 😉 In this interview, Lokesh spills the beans on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Construction Management route for your career, including the growing role of data analytics and how it’s going to...

Have you been eyeing the Project Management route for your career and want to know what it looks like? 🤔 Well, this interview with Aaron Shavel spills the beans on everything you need to know…from the inside. 🔐 Aaron is a civil engineering graduate who went down that path and now works as Project Manager at TC Electric, managing some really massive and complex projects up there in New York. 😨 I...

Overwhelmed by the number of codes required for the Geotech PE Exam? Scared by its low pass rates…year after year? 🤔 Then this interview with Seth Anderson is what you need. Seth is a civil engineer with an unconventional career path into the world of Transmission Engineering, and he’s just passed the Geotech PE Exam…on his first try. ✅ 👷 In this episode, he shares everything he did, every stud...

Having second thoughts about going for a career in Geotech? 🤔 Well, you shouldn’t! Our latest guest is Kirsten Grant, a civil engineer who’s making waves in the field few civil engineers dare to dive in — especially women. As Senior Geostructural Engineer at Schnabel Engineering, wife, and mother, Kirsten’s journey is proof the Geotechnical Engineering route can lead to a rewarding career…without...

Let me guess: you listened to our previous episode with Brian Armstrong and got interested in what the numbers look like in that real estate syndication opportunity for engineers. Correct? 🤔 Then this episode is exactly what you needed! 😉 💸 Today, we bring back Brian Armstrong to dive deeper in the nuts and bolts of building a passive income machine with real estate syndications…using the highe...

Going for the FE a few years after school is already tough. But 11 years, with three failed attempts in the track record, and facing language challenges for coming from a non-English speaking country?! 😨 That’s exactly what Angela Concha did! 😮 Angela is a civil engineer in Ohio who came to the U.S. from Venezuela and passed the FE Exam as a student of The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course. In thi...

Many non-civil engineers have passed the Civil PE Exam, and our latest guest, Jessica Wellcome, is another awesome example…whose journey is nothing short of inspiring! 👏 👷 Jessica finished school with a degree in Architectural Engineering Technology but found herself working in Transportation at NYS DOT, which is when she quickly realized that… She needed the PE license to get promoted! The prob...

Is it possible to work as a civil engineer in…wait for it…the US Navy?! ⚓ Well, the answer is yes. (I know… what? 😮) Today’s guest is Jason Schechter, an engineer who has spent 20 years serving in the Navy, doing all types of projects any other engineer does in the civilian world…and now works in the Pentagon. 🫡 How did he do it? 🤔 In this episode, he talks about the Navy’s program for recruit...

PE Water Resources vs. PE Environmental Exam: what’s the difference? Even better, if you work in any of these two fields…which one do you take if they overlap quite a bit? 🤔 You’ve probably asked yourself those same questions, and this week’s guest, Matt Fanghella, has the answers to both! 💪 Matt is a PE and CFM (and one of our CEA Team members too!) with lots of experience in both worlds, both...

Did you know one of the most difficult topics in the Water Resources PE Exam is not related to Water Resources?! 😯 That’s what our guest on this episode, Kim Truong, found to be true firsthand after taking and passing this thing herself. Kim is an Environmental Scientist turned Civil Engineer who’s been working for the US Air Force in Japan. In this episode, she dives into the tactics and resourc...

“Artificial Intelligence” gets all the buzz today. 🤖 Lots of things it could be used for, and lots of options out there. The problem? 🤔 According to Dr. Sam Zolfagharian, most AEC leaders try to implement it the wrong way! 🚨 Dr. Sam is the co-founder and president of YegaTech, an AI consulting firm focusing on helping AEC firms and executives plan and execute their AI strategy to scale their bu...

🚨 This PE Exam prep timeline defies EVERYTHING you’ve seen so far! 🚨 We always mention that 3 months is the minimum, but exemptions exist…and Connor Aycock did it in ONE month!  😱  👇 That’s exactly what you read, believe it or not.  After moving to a new state where the rules on when you can take the PE after passing the FE are looser, Connor had his chance. In May 2024, his boss challenged hi...

🚨 Here’s another case that will blow your mind 👉 Imagine taking the Civil PE Exam 7 (seven!) times, each time with a different exam format…and all this without a civil engineering degree! 🤯 That’s exactly what today’s guest, Justin Krishart, PE, did! 😲 Justin graduated from Penn State with a degree in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in Structures. Needless to say, he knew very littl...

Do you know what Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are? Connected Autonomous Vehicles? 🤔 Then this interview with one of the industry’s traiblazers, Dr. Said El Said, PE, PhD is a must! Dr. Said is a Transportation Systems Program Manager at Neel-Schaffer, applying technology to transform our transportation infrastructure and optimize our day-to-day use of it. In this episode, he talks abo...

What would you do after failing the PE Exam five times?! 😧 And worse, with each and every attempt being a different exam format? From paper-based to CBT…all the way to the new specs?! 😱 That’s exactly Tucker Stafford’s journey of resilience to get over the PE exam! 🥵 He got started way back in 2020 (when the exam was still paper-based!) and finally cleared the bar in April 2024. ✅ He took all...

Is the shortage of civil engineers only a lack of interest in the field by people, or have companies just been offering…well, too little? 🤔 In today’s episode, we interview Tyler Wiggins, an engineer turned recruiter that grew a small operation of only three people into a team of talented engineers in the solar industry. Tyler dives into the big shortage of civil engineers hurting companies big t...

Are self-driving cars really the future…in a country with a traffic fatality rate that (literally) dwarfs that of other countries in Europe and Asia? 🚗 🤔 In this episode, Byron Tang, a Senior Transportation Engineer for the City of Hayward, shares invaluable insights on the evolving Transportation landscape…and why Transportation engineers will play a crucial role in the years to come! He dives...

Getting the PE does wonders for increasing your income. Period! But if you want to become financially better off, shoving that extra dough into traditional 401ks is..well, not the answer! ❌ In this episode, I chat with Brian Armstrong, a civil Structural Engineer turned real estate investor who’s used his high salary as an engineer to build a passive income machine with real estate! 💸 After 12 y...

Want to know what the latest FE and PE exam pass rates are? Your chances of passing based on graduation date and years of experience? How many people are taking these exams? 🤔 Then you’ll want to listen to this episode with Mark! In this one, Mark jumps back on the show to dive into the 2023 NCEES Squared Report. This is your update on the current state of professional engineering licensure…direc...

Did you know the NCEES can customize the PE exam based on your unique needs? Whether it’s additional testing time, break time, or even changes in the testing environment? 🤔 Nicole Hatfield did just that.  Diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, Nicole faced the daunting task of passing the Civil PE Exam — no easy feat for anyone, but especially challenging with her conditions. In this episode, she shares...

The civil engineering industry is seeing a big labor shortage of the exact type of engineers companies are desperately looking for. 😲 How do we know? In this episode we interview Brandon McGill, a recruiter specialized in the geotechnical and land development arenas of civil engineering. He jumps back on the show to give us an update on the state of the civil engineering job market today, as well...

Civil engineers touch on everything everybody uses every day…literally. But even then, the profession isn’t as famous as others. That’s what Michael Bempah set out to change! After graduating in Chicago, Illinois, he noticed pretty soon that nobody knew what civil engineers do. Especially members of minority groups, who didn’t even see it as a possible career for them. As an African-American himse...

Want to know how to pass the Civil PE Exam in 3 months or less? 🤔 Then this episode with Taylor Austin is for you! Not only did she do exactly that, but in this interview, she answers the most important question: How?! Taylor is an Environmental Engineer who works at WSP doing environmental compliance work and has recently passed the Water Resources PE Exam. After moving to California to work at...