The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast4 Dec 2025

CAD Tech Without a Civil Degree Turned Licensed PE After 30 Years With Bill Bollman

Don’t think you can become a PE years after school and without having followed the traditional path of getting a degree in civil? 🤔 Then this episode with Bill Bollman, PE will blow your mind!

Bill started out as a CAD Technician who worked his way up to Roadway Production Manager over 30 years without a civil engineering degree…and has now just become a licensed PE! (Yep, you read that right. 😯)

In this episode, he shares the legalities around waiving the FE exam and dives deep into the details of this fascinating journey to pull this off.

From how he weaved an insane amount of study hours into his days to be able to fill huge civil engineering knowledge gaps he had…all the way to how he strategically scheduled practice exams at very specific moments in his prep to help him with the time management issue.

If you didn’t follow the “traditional” engineering path, are deep into your career, and are wondering if becoming a PE is still on the table, Bill’s story shows that not only is it possible — you still have a lot to gain from it.

🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN:

His Journey to Get the PE as a CAD Tech With No Civil Degree
How He Filled the Knowledge Gaps for the Exam That He Didn't Learn in School
How He Structured His Study Hours in His Days With Work and Family
Why He Put in So Much Study Time That Other People Would Call Him "Crazy"
What His Support System at Home Looked Like to Be Able to Pull This off
How He Processed His Failed First Attempt at the PE (And Got Back on His Feet)
A Big Part of Passing the PE That's Not Related to Studying at All
The Civil Engineering Academy Resources He Used and Why He Liked Them
How He Strategically Scheduled Practice Exams to Fix His Time Management Issue
The Real Ratio Between Calculation vs. Theory Questions on the PE
What Getting the PE License Means to His Career, Even Without a Civil Degree
His 2 Pieces of Advice for Those Taking the PE

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Dr. Daniel Findley’s

PE Genius

CEA Podcast Ep 195 (Wade Broussard)

CEA Podcast Ep 306 (Jimmy Daughtry)

CEA Podcast Ep 258 (Connor Aycock)

100 Bonus Transportation Theory Questions

The Ultimate Transportation PE Exam

CEA’s FREE Transportation Problems

CEA’s FREE Water Resources Problems

💬 CONNECT WITH BILL:

bill.bollman@ice-eng.com

🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU:

The Civil FE Startup Guide

The Civil PE Startup Guide

🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES:

Civil FE Review Course

Civil PE Review Courses

📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS:

FE Practice Exams

FE CBT Exam Simulator

PE Bonus Theory Questions

PE Practice Exams

PE CBT Exam Simulator

FE Environmental Practice Exam

PE Environmental Practice Exam

📱 CONNECT WITH CEA

support@civilengineeringacademy.com

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