The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

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 higher salary you get after passing the PE Exam, just like he did. 🏠

From what real estate syndications are and how they work to the most important metrics you need to track, Brian covers everything you need to get started in this world with the confidence of a 20-year real estate professional. 💪

If you want to make the money you work hard to get work even harder for you…and beat the paltry 7-10% stock market return…then you’ll want to listen to this one. 🎧

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

• Why real estate instead of the stock market?
• Apartment buildings vs. other real estate
• How apartments are valued
• What's Net Operating Income (NOI)?
• What's Cash on Cash Return (CoC)?
• What's Equity Multiple?
• What's Average Annual Return (AAR)?
• What's Internal Rate of Return (IRR)?
• What's Preferred Return?
• Break Even Occupancy
• How real estate syndication works
• How to move funds from retirement accounts into syndications
• What to do if you're interested in syndications
• How Brian can help you get started
• The 2 syndication red flags you should stay on the lookout for

✅ RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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 this episode, she dives into her FE prep struggles. From why self-study and other renowned (and expensive!) prep courses out there didn’t work for her…and how she turned things around.

Her journey is a big lesson on the single most important trait you should have if you find yourself in the same shoes of having to retake the exam: Grit!

So, if you’re in the same shoes, and especially if you’re a latino or latina engineer on your way to becoming a licensed PE in the US, this episode will inspire you to push through! 💪

Go check it out! 🎧

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

• Her journeys from Venezuela to the US
• Her first two unsuccessful attempts at the Civil PE Exam with self-study
• Did PPI’s expensive course really prepare her for her 3rd try?
• How she found Civil Engineering Academy and finally passed the PE
• The biggest challenge of her entire exam prep
• The most difficult part of the FE Exam
• What The Ultimate Civil FE Review Course has that helped her the most on exam day
• Her little trick for the day before the exam to remember everything you studied
• Her favorite feature of the course…and why it made all the difference
• Her advice on taking practice exams leading up to the real deal
• What you should do immediately after you take the exam
• Is the Civil FE Exam becoming more theoretical?
• The most difficult question type on the exam
• The single most important trait you need to have as a repeat taker

✅ RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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 problem? 🤔

Her path wasn’t easy — she took the exam 6 times (3 paper-based, 3 computer-based), with the COVID pandemic putting a damper on her plans. 😞

In this episode, she dives into this journey and the lessons she learned along the way (and the hard way!) after multiple exam retakes.

If you’re an Architectural Engineering grad taking the Civil PE, or a civil engineer having to retake this exam, this will give you actionable advice to take to heart…and a blueprint for resilience.

After all, as her no-quit mantra during her prep goes, “Don’t give up. It might not be your time now but your time will come.”

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

• What Her Transportation Work Looks Like at NYS DOT
• How Important is the Civil FE to Your Career?
• The True Benefit of Taking the PE...And Why Decoupling Hurts It
• Why She Could Only Sit for the PE Exam After 6 Years of Experience
• Her Tip to Help you Prove Your Work Experience to the NCEES
• Why She Went With Civil Engineering Academy
• A Key Lesson She Learned the Hard Way When Prepping for the PE Exam
• Her Number One Tip When Solving Practice Problems for the PE
• How to Deal With the (Many) Codes in the Transportation Exam...Without Overwhelm
• How Much Prep Do You Really Need for Your Exams?
• The Biggest Tip for Repeater Takers...from a Repeat Taker Herself
• What to Do When You Don't Know How to Answer a Question
• The Transportation Topic That Appeared the Most on the Exam
• The Topic She Struggled the Most With During the Exam
• A Question That Caught Her off Guard on the Exam
• Should You Really Take a Review Course? (Plus the Benefits of It)
• What She Enjoyed About Civil Engineering Academy

🤝 OUR PARTNER:

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 recruiting engineers that he joined while still in college (and you probably didn’t even know existed until to today!), as well as the career progression and the (lots of ) pros and (very few) cons of working in the military. 🎖️

Oh, I almost forgot. 😅 Your experience in the military also sets you up for success after you reach the retirement age of the military.

So, if one of your goals in life was to join the military, or you’re simply curious about what it’s like to take that route now, then you'll definitely want to listen to this episode. 😉

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

• How He Got in the Navy as an Engineer
• The Navy's Civil Engineering Collegiate Program for Recruiting Engineers
• What It's Like to Be Part of the Navy's Program
• The 3 Types of Work You Do in the Navy as a Civil Engineer
• Is the Navy's Work All Civil Engineering Work?
• The Worst Part of Being in the Navy and How He Handles It
• Why He Stayed in the Navy for 20 Years...When the Plan Was Only 4 Years
• The Big Benefit of Staying in the Navy Until the Retirement Age
• What the Career Progression of a Civil Engineer in the Navy Looks Like
• 2 Skills Civil Engineers Need to Excel at the Navy
• The Hardest Part of His Job Today at the Pentagon
• What Positions You Can Get Outside the Navy Afterwards
• His 2 Biggest Frustrations Today Working in the Pentagon
• How Politics Affects Your Work in the Navy
• How to Get Your PE When Working in the Navy All Over the World
• His Advice If You're Interested in Joining the Navy as an Engineer

✅ RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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 regarding his career and his journey to licensure.

As someone who worked in Environmental early on in his career, and then transitioned to Water Resources, he found himself in the spot you’re in right now.

In this episode, he dives into his process for spotting the (small) differences between the two exams, how he decided which one to take so you know how you can do it for yourself…

…all the way to brand-new CEA resources he’s working on to help you tackle the Environmental FE and PE exams if you’re going that route. ✅ 🏗️

Smash that play button and get all your questions answered about these two exams once and for all! ⏯️

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

• Why are There 2 Separate PE Exams About Water Resources and Environmental?
• The Gap in the Engineering Industry That the 2 Exams Were Created to Fill
• How to Choose Between the Civil: Water Resources or Environmental PE Exam
• Matt's Experience in the Both the Environmental and Water Resources Arenas
• How He Decided Between the Water Resources and Environmental PE Exams
• Our Brand-New PE Environmental Practice Exam for You
• The FE Environmental Exam
• Teaser on CEA's (Future) Environmental PE Review Course
• Why You'll Want to Go Down the Environmental Career Path

🤝 OUR PARTNERS: