The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

Today’s economy is wild! Is inflation holding you back on the financial roadmap you created for yourself, fueled by your engineering career? 🤔 Ryan Sullivan to the (financial) rescue! 🛟 💵 Ryan is a Mechanical Engineer who always had a passion for personal finance and investing. (He even played one of those stock market games in high school. 😅) In his role leading the engineering department at...

What is it like to work on big, headline-making projects? You know, the big stadiums, the tallest buildings, the one-of-a-kind structures? 🤔 This interview with Muhammad Abrar has the answers! He’s a Structural  Engineer working at a global firm and designing some cool (and really complex) stuff in Dubai…including what will be the world’s largest project of its kind after completion! 😲 If you’re...

Ever wondered what it would feel like to start and run your own engineering firm? Have you already considered it, but the downsides keep you from taking the leap? 🤔 Then this episode is for you! 👇 Today, Ramin Parsi shares his entrepreneurial journey as an engineer to build Pro Engineering Consulting with his dad, a MEP firm with more than 60 employees and licensed in more than 33 states now (an...

Passing the Civil PE Exam after 20+ years? 😲 That’s a huge feat already. But doing this as a Mechanical Engineer with no civil engineering background whatsoever…that’s a whole nother level! 🤯 In this episode, we interview Joe Ebinger, a mechanical engineer by education who’s been working in the civil engineering industry for 21 years. Because of his job, he decided to go for the Civil PE Exam, w...

1.8 million. That’s how many people in Nicaragua (alone) still don't have access to clean, drinking water. 😲 In this episode, we interview Renata Aleman from Project Schoolhouse, a nonprofit that helps bring clean water and schools to remote areas in Nicaragua. She shares the harsh reality of many others that we tend to overlook, and the many ways people, especially engineers, can get involve...

Picture this: You have a good engineering job. You make decent money. Your family is fine. So, why do you feel unsatisfied with your life and career? 🤔 The answer…you’re not being intentional with either of them. In this episode, we interview Jeff Perry, a career coach and the author of The Intentional Engineer book. Based on his own life experiences, he’s been working one-on-one with engineers a...

From Bangladesh to a P.Eng. in Canada to a PE in the US…Samia Bhuiyan has been proving all the stereotypes wrong across the world! 🌎 In this interview, she shares her incredible journey to become a woman Structural Engineer (we know that’s rare but shouldn't!) and pass her PE Exam as a working mom of two kids! 👶 😲 Any women engineers out there with kids? International women engineers coming...

Failed the Civil FE Exam once? Twice? Five times? Well, "don't waste a failure." That’s a mantra Ryan Turley adopted to pass this thing on his 5th attempt! 😲 In this episode, Ryan shares his emotional story of perseverance, from hitting rock bottom and doubting if he was “good enough” for engineering to finally becoming an EIT. If you've been struggling with the FE, Ryan's j...

Feeling trapped by “traditional” engineering roles? Do you want a way out to a career you truly enjoy? 🤔 Well, meet Stefanie Reichman, PE! In this episode, Stefanie shares her journey from dissatisfaction with both the design and project management aspects of engineering to discovering her dream career at Bluebeam that aligns with her life goals. If you’ve been considering a career pivot, whether...

Taking the PE Construction Exam? Then our interview with Paul Rosowski is for you! He passed one of the most brutal PE civil exams…without a Construction background and specialized in the Renewable Energy field. 😲 In this episode, he dives into his exam prep to help you pass this brutal exam too — plus some tips if you want to go down the Project Management route based on his own experience. 😉 T...

Ever got called up to testify in court after a project turned into a legal war? 🤔 Yeah…depositions in Civil Engineering are more common than you think, and you need to be prepared. Today, Mark jumps on to share his firsthand experience with his most recent deposition, plus the key takeaways for both navigating them and safeguarding your career. ⚖️ Tune in to Learn: What are depositions in Civil E...

Are you a foreign woman civil engineer in the US looking to get your PE? 🤔 Then our latest episode with Pei Huang is for you! She came to the US from China for her Master’s, got her PhD too, and passed her PE exam on the first try — while pregnant and working full-time! 😲 In this episode, she reveals her international journey from Environmental to Water Resources to Transportation…all the way to...

Want to build a career in the drone industry…even as a civil engineer? 🤔 Chances are you already have what you need! In this episode, we interview Erik Bitzko, one of the first to ever fly drones (since the Section 333 days! 😲) who pioneered many of the techniques used in the utility world today. He’s now spreading the word all over the country as the Senior Vice President of Electric Utilities...

Calling all Engineers and homeowners out there! 🏠 Today’s interview is with none other than Bob Brown, the foundation repair expert who built, grew, and later sold Arizona Foundation Solutions. Bob’s spent years fixing all types of foundation issues you can imagine, and in this interview, he dives deep into it. From foundation maintenance tips to keep your house safe… all the way to how you as an...

From zero to more than 2,000+ projects (and counting). That’s how much mass timber has grown in popularity over the years. 📈 So today, we interview Ricky McLain, a SE who specializes in timber and works at WoodWorks — an organization that provides assistance and continuing education on wood design and construction. If you use mass timber in your projects, this is your chance to pick the brains of...

Did you know you can use your civil engineering knowledge to make an impact in underserved communities…while traveling abroad? 🤔 Today I interviewed Brittany Margritz from Engineers in Action (EIA), who leads the program that builds pedestrian footbridges in these communities. In this episode, she dives into the work that EIA does, how it works, and how you can join them to go abroad to help buil...

If you’ve failed a few times, you may be considering changing your PE Civil Exam, right? 🤔 That’s what Grant Junghans did to get over this hump once and for all. He failed the Construction exam twice, changed to the Water Resources exam, and then passed it. In this episode, he dives into this journey of switching exams and teaches you all he learned the hard way if you’re thinking of doing the sa...

Are you just a few years into your career and thinking about going down the Structural Engineering route? 🤔 Then our latest interview is a must! Colten Johnson is a Structural Engineer who started and now leads his own structural firm. He also runs PE4Free, a platform built to help young engineers thrive in the professional world and pass their exams. Tune in to Learn: How he passed the FE exam u...

Passing the FE Civil Exam 18 years out of school, well into your late 30s, and coming from a non-technical career as a Lutheran Minister? 😱 That’s exactly what Zach Parris just recently did! 👷 In this episode, he dives into this quiet original journey into the field, his FE experience, as well as tips he learned the hard way for anyone taking the FE “later” in life.   Tune in to Learn: His surpr...

Our latest episode with Vince Marvin, PE, SE is  a gold mine for everyone interested in a career in Structural Engineering! He answers questions every Structural Engineer has, based on his own journey. How do you learn the ropes out of college? Do you need a master’s degree? Is the PE needed? Should you go for the SE, even with the low pass rates? 🤔 It’s all here! 👷 Tune in to Learn: Grad school...

Are you a civil engineer planning to go into project management…in New York? 🤔 Then this interview with Mafuzul Mashud, PE, is for you! He started out as a Transportation Engineer in Long Island, got his PE license out of the way, and worked his way up to Project Manager, overseeing big projects from New York’s MTA. 🗽 👷 Tune in to Learn: The 3 biggest challenges of working in New York as a Civi...

Can we train computers to “be” Structural Engineers? 🤔 In this episode, I chat with Nick Heim, a Structural Engineer working with parking structures, about the AI tools that can change the field forever. From machine learning teaching computers how to do the engineer’s calcs…all the way to using computer vision to “look for” potential structural issues in images and videos. 😲 Tune in to Learn: W...

Have you thought of doing the same engineering work you do at your workplace, but for yourself? 🤔 Then you’ll want to listen to this interview with Paige Brue about her own journey to start her consulting business! She dives into how her education allowed her to provide the type of services she provides, why having professional credentials is a must (and the easiest way to get them)...all the way...

Do you know how our AEC industry is doing and what we can expect in the years to come? No?! 🤔 Then this episode is for you! Mark jumps back on to share his recent roundtable discussion with other leaders of AEC companies to discuss their challenges, problems, new technology…all the way to what the future looks like for the industry. Is it positive? Well, give this a listen and you’ll find out! 😉...

Do you think you’ve made the wrong decision of going into engineering just because the “common” roles don’t align with the life you want? 🤔 Well, you’re looking at it the wrong way! In this interview with Rebecca Miller, she dives into her non-traditional journey into Structural Engineering and how she intentionally designed a career in the field that matched her life goals instead of getting sil...