Mudasir Gulzar’s Journey to Pass the Geotech PE Exam with CEA

With technology just getting better every single day and making it easier for people and companies to work and connect with one another, the old-fashioned way of emailing a resume, or even visiting each individual company with a printed version of it, has been replaced by professional networking platforms. The most famous one is, with no doubt, LinkedIn. As the largest online professional networking platform in the world, with more than 600 million users and 30 million companies, most employers resort to it in order to pre-select candidates for their available positions. In addition to that, many other features allow LinkedIn to be a go-to resource for every professional in every field. In today’s episode, Isaac shares tips and tools to help you create an outstanding LinkedIn profile. Diving deeper into the individual sections available, Isaac mentions the do’s and don’ts of each one of them. He covers the strategies we should use to fill them in so that we can make them look professionally good and clearly explains who we are, what we do, our areas of expertise, as well as the hard and soft skills we have. Touching on tips that help both those people who already have experience in their respective fields and the ones who are just starting out, this is a great episode that will help anyone polish up or even kick start their online resumes on LinkedIn. Resources Mentioned LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com Purple Mattress - civilengineeringacademy.com/purple If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682344491800869 Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter If you need a personal review of your profile, resume, etc. visit me! https://courses.civilengineeringacademy.com/p/linked-profile-review Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

23 Joulu 202032min

Today’s episode is another one on our “America’s Infrastructure Report Card Series”, so to speak. Produced by the ASCE, these report cards are released every four years with the purpose of bringing to light the existing infrastructure problems and limitations in different sectors within the United States, ranging from bridges and dams to wastewater and energy. Today, Mark Oakeson jumps back on to discuss with Isaac the last report card on bridge conditions nationwide, released in 2017. The overall grade assigned was a C+, which may not seem that bad initially, but according to the report, almost 10% of the nation’s bridges were structurally deficient in 2016, and there were about 188 million trips across such bridges per day. According to the report, 4 in 10 of America’s bridges are 50+ years old, which is highly significant once we factor in that a bridge is designed to reach 50 years of proper functioning at most. For all civil engineers out there, this is a great episode that will certainly show you that there are plenty of opportunities. According to the report, civil engineers are needed as never seen before to ensure that our infrastructure functions properly, safely, and efficiently. Isaac and Mark dive into how inspections are made and how specialists determine if a bridge is a “pass” or a “fail”, the huge role that funding plays in this discussion, as well as uncovering the States that are doing a good job at taking care of their bridges and the ones that don’t. Resources Mentioned America’s Infrastructure Report Card (2017) - https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org Bridge Infrastructure Report (2017) - https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges I-35W bridge collapse (MN, 2007) - http://www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/collapse.html Federal Highway Administration - https://highways.dot.gov Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) - https://www.udot.utah.gov/connect PPI is our partner to help you ace your FE and PE exams. Use our discount code of CIVACand our link to get 15% off any book you order - http://www.civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.community.com Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

16 Joulu 202032min

Civil engineers, as with all the other professionals within the STEM sector (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), are undeniably more comfortable with the “hard skills” they are required to learn in school than they are with some, if not all, “soft skills”. However, once they start working, they realize that these soft, interpersonal skills can be just as valuable for their careers as their math-focused, college-trained competencies. Or even worse, they may end up having to use more of the former than the latter. Today’s guest is a living example that people in STEM can acquire and master such interpersonal skills to excel both in their professional and personal lives. Neil Thompson is a speaker, writer, entrepreneur, and a professional engineer who runs Teach The Geek To Speak, an online course dedicated to teaching public speaking skills specifically to people within STEM. Neil started out his career by earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in product development engineering. Since his company didn’t hire a project manager, he was chosen to take on that role. However, what he didn’t know was that it included giving project status updates to senior management on a monthly basis in the form of presentations. After some failed attempts, he realized he needed to improve at this. Now, he’s combined all the things he learned over time with these monthly presentations in the form of an online course and has put it out to help others achieve the same level of mastery and further their careers. Isaac and Neil walk us through the top tips regarding presentations, both related to how to act when giving them and how to structure our slides and visuals so that our audience can in fact listen to what we are saying. In addition, Neil paints a totally new picture of the difference between introverts and extroverts, as well as why the idea that introverts are not good at public speaking is the biggest lie ever. Resources Mentioned Teach The Geek - http://teachthegeek.com Teach The Geek To Speak (Online Course) - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/teachthegeek Teach The Geek (Youtube Channel) - youtube.teachthegeek.com Neil’s Children’s Book (Ask Uncle Neil: Why Is My hair Curly?) - http://askuncleneil.com Neil’s Public Speaking Book (Teach The Geek To Speak) - https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Geek-Speak-Neil-Thompson/dp/0578410117 Toastmasters - https://www.toastmasters.org If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.ceacommunity.com Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

9 Joulu 202029min

Going through engineering school is hard, let alone passing the FE exam that comes along with it. Some engineers have taken the strategy of taking the FE exam right after school as the best option. In contrast, others get so busy with family- and work-related stuff that devoting hours to studying for the exam daily seems a barrier in itself, which causes them to postpone it — most of the time indefinitely. Today’s guest is the living proof that being out of college for a bit and in an exam setting is not that much of an obstacle. Today’s interview is with D. J. Leslie, a civil engineer who graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and has been working as a construction inspector at Volkert, Inc. for about 5 years. He started out doing some basic paving jobs, working closely with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). He then moved to a much larger project: a three-phase intersection redesign between the two major interstates in Birmingham, the I-65 and I-59/20. Earlier this year, as an engineer with a 5-year experience in the field and away from exam settings for some time, he decided to take the FE exam in October. As a way to help him recall all the content that is tested on exam day, as well as to keep him on track to get a passing grade and connected with people who know how the exam works, he enrolled in the Ultimate Civil FE Review Course. D. J. mentions some features of the course that stood out to him, such as the huge bank of problems available and the practice exams that give a realistic preview of how exam day looks like. Resources Mentioned D.J. Leslie LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-j-leslie-eit-58356a5a D.J. Leslie Email - dennisjamesleslie@gmail.com Volkert, Inc. - https://volkert.com Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) - https://www.dot.state.al.us The University of Alabama at Birmingham - https://www.uab.edu/home Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks, by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer - https://amzn.to/3mowcfx Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, on Disney+ - https://www.disneyplus.com/pt-br/series/cosmos-a-spacetime-odyssey/3AAcsJhhmU10 If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682344491800869 Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

2 Joulu 202042min

The stories behind people’s reasons for getting into civil engineering are just as unique as their aspirations once they get into the field. While some of us dream about working on a particular project, whether it be building the highest skyscraper on Earth or the brand new stadium of our favorite basketball team, others visualize themselves stepping up into management roles and becoming the president of national or even multinational engineering firms. Today’s guest is a perfect example of a successful engineer who followed his passion for a specific discipline of the field and proved to everyone else that engineers do have the soft skills needed to tackle the day-to-day, non-technical tasks. Today, Isaac talks to Tait Ketcham, the current president at Dunn Associates, Inc, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the past president of the Structural Engineers Association of Utah(SEAU). After spending his childhood building things out of wood, he developed a strong interest in construction and design. Since then, he has worked on many notable projects, such as the Memphis Grizzlies stadium and the Hale Centre Theater. In this interview, Tait talks about his passion for the role that our field plays in shaping and positively impacting societies, the many different paths an undergraduate student can take in the field, given its huge branch of segments, as well as the mistakes that taught him the greatest lessons in engineering and life in general. Going through school, studying for the FE or the PE, and dealing with the day-to-day tasks of meeting deadlines and resolving issues that come up onsite may sound hard. But according to Tait, “Passion is contagious.” Resources Mentioned Tait Ketcham - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tait-ketcham-26015a77 Dunn Associates, Inc - http://www.dunn-se.com Structural Engineers Association of Utah (SEAU) - https://seau.org American Society of Civil Engineers - https://www.asce.org Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) - https://www.udot.utah.gov/connect Memphis Grizzlies Stadium - https://fedexforum.com Hale Centre Theater - https://www.hct.org/Online/default.asp If you need exams, solved problems or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682344491800869 Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

26 Marras 202026min

Everyone has a different story about how they got into Civil Engineering. While some people had a love for the problem-solving process of mathematics and physics from an early age, others discovered their passions for one specific area or discipline of the field a little bit later in life. Today, we go through the story of how someone who was pretty familiar with the military went up to an officer of the USPHS Commissioned Corps, got himself a summer job, and has been with the Indian Health Service for 18 years. Today’s special guest is Charles Thompson, the Indian Health Service Sr. Field Engineer, who studied Engineering at the University of Maine and graduated in 2005. His work involves doing providing federally recognized tribes with water, wastewater, and solid waste infrastructure projects, as well as providing the tribal utilities with utility consultation, and helping them out with the operation and maintenance of their systems. Charles, a “late bloomer” as he calls himself, talks about his experience with the PE exam, as well as how hard it can be, especially for those who haven’t dealt with school material and concepts for a long time. Therefore, he took the Ultimate Civil PE Review Course in order to take the exam — which he did in October — and, today, he explains how it helped him prepare for it. This is a must-listen episode for literally anyone. Charles really brings the civil engineering field to its core essence, which is using the technical knowledge and problem-solving skills we have to positively impact communities and society as a whole. Resources Mentioned Charles Thompson’s Email - chuck1166@hotmail.com Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com University of Maine - https://umaine.edu The United States Environmental Protection Agency - https://www.epa.gov Indian Health Service - https://www.ihs.gov United States Public Public Health Service - https://www.usphs.gov Wastewater Treatment and Reuse: Theory and Design Examples - https://www.amazon.com/Wastewater-Treatment-Reuse-Examples-Two/dp/149876200X The Civil Engineering Handbook - https://www.amazon.com/Civil-Engineering-Handbook-New-Directions/dp/0849309581 If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682344491800869 Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

18 Marras 202036min

America’s Infrastructure Report Card, produced by the ASCE, is released every four years and has the purpose of bringing to light the existing infrastructure problems and limitations in different sectors within the United States, ranging from bridges and dams to wastewater and energy. The ASCE’s committee is made up of 28 civil engineers who work closely with technical and industry experts, assessing relevant data and reports, and then assigning grades based on aspects such as current capability, future need, resilience, funding, and more. Today’s episode is all about the last report card, which was released in 2017. We focused on the energy sector, specifically when it comes to electricity. The overall grade assigned to the sector as a whole was an alarming D+, which, according to ASCE’s criterion, means that “(...) A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with a strong risk of failure”. Isaac, as a practicing professional engineer in the energy industry working at a utility firm, is the right person to talk about this previous grade given in 2017, and how it may differ from the next one coming right up in 2021. Why do we face so many issues in the sector? Is it likely that we’ll see the same concerns appear once again in the 2021 report card? Maybe. But what are some measures we can take now to make this grade go up for the next report cards? It’s all in today’s episode! Resources Mentioned America’s Infrastructure Report Card (2017) - https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org Energy Infrastructure Report (2017) - https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/energy American Society of Civil Engineers - https://www.asce.org The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) - https://standards.ieee.org/products-services/nesc/index.html If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Haven’t joined up in our free community? What’s wrong with you? J/K. Ok, just go there and join a group of like-minded civil engineers! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682344491800869 Join over 4000 engineers like you and learn the tips and tricks to passing the FE and PE. We even have a free resource for you! - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/join-our-newsletter Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com

11 Marras 202021min

For listeners of the Civil Engineering Academy Podcast, the transition from the usual pen-and-paper exam to a computer-based format (CBT) is not “breaking news”. We’ve all listened to episode 51 of the podcast featuring Tim Miller, the Chief Officer of Examinations at the NCEES, who oversees the development and scoring of all examinations, as well as the exam administration. In his interview with Isaac, he presented NCEES’s plan for accelerating this transition and making the civil PE exam go 100% CBT in 2022! While the reason for accelerating this move came as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications, it actually follows the trend already put into practice for the FE exam and the PE exam for mechanical engineering. Today, Mark jumps back on the show to discuss some of the new conditions announced by NCEES that will come along with such a move, and whether or not they can be considered a pro or a con, at least from a test-taker standpoint. On one hand, people will be able to take the test any time of the year, as opposed to the previous April and October time frames people used to center their studies around. On the other hand, there’s a slight possibility that questions belonging to the breadth and depth portions could get mixed up and tested “together”. To top it all off, the number of references test-takers can bring to the testing locations will be reduced to…. Listen to the show to find out! The CBT format is now, more than ever, a reality. It’s not something to be afraid of. It's just something that will require an adaptation period and a lot of discipline and effort. If you’re planning on taking the PE exam or the FE exam, do not forget to check out the Civil PE Review Course and the Civil FE Review Course to refresh your memory on all the things you need to know to ace these exams! Resources Mentioned CEA Episode 51 with Tim Miller - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/cea-51-the-ncees-chief-officer-of-exams-tim-miller-pe/ The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course - https://civilpereviewcourse.com/ The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course - https://civilfereviewcourse.com/ PPI is our partner to help you ace your FE and PE exams. Use our discount code of CIVAC and our link to get 15% off any book you order - http://www.civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com Thanks for checking things out! Leave a review and let us know how we are doing!

3 Marras 202026min