The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast

Isaac Oakeson
  • 4.9 (21)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast - your ultimate guide to everything related to civil engineering! Our goal is to support you at every stage of your journey to becoming a successful professional civil engineer, and to help you enhance your career and personal life. We share our expertise and provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed. Join us for informative and engaging discussions on exam preparation strategies, career development, and cutting-edge engineering innovations. Whether you're preparing to ace the civil FE or PE exam, looking to adv

  1. How Civil Firm Owners Can Plan a Smart Exit From Day One With Laurie Barkman

    4D AGO

    How Civil Firm Owners Can Plan a Smart Exit From Day One With Laurie Barkman

    Do you know the biggest mistake AEC firm owners make? 🤔 They get lost in the busy work and never plan how they’ll leave the business one day. That’s why this episode with Laurie Barkman is huge! Known as the “Business Transition Sherpa,” she’s a M&A advisor who helps owners scale their firms smarter…and exit them stronger. She’s a former CEO who led a $100M company through the acquisition process — and now she works specifically with AEC firms to help their owners set themselves for a transition the right way. In this episode, we dive into all things business for a civil engineering firm. Valuation metrics, how to navigate the acquisition process, why a 50/50 partnership is not the way to go, and a lot more! So, if you’re running a civil firm now — or plan to start one one day — this episode will get you thinking long-term. Because no matter whether you sell it, pass it on, or step away, you don’t want to wing it…and then be trapped into the business until your late 60s. Right? 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: 2 Things Engineers Need to Know Before They Get Into Business Side of Engineering Why a Business Partnership Should NEVER Be 50/50 The Biggest Mistake Any Firm Owner Can Make That Makes Life Difficult Later Should All Owners Be Looking to Sell the Business? Is It the Only Way Out? Where Does the Owner's Successor Come From? (Hint: Not What You Think) What's The Business Transition Handbook All About? How to Valuate Your Own Engineering Business The Right Way to Find Buyers When You're Interested in Selling Her Mastermind Group to Help Owners Set up Their Business for a Profit Exit What She Recommends for Every New Engineer Getting into Business for the First Time 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: The Business Transition Handbook, by Laurie Barkman Succession Stories Podcast B.U.I.L.T. Leader Circles B.U.I.L.T. Freedom™ Course Ingersoll Rand 💬 CONNECT WITH LAURIE: LinkedIn Website Laurie's Advisory Consultation 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    31 min
  2. A Structural Engineering Niche Most Don't Know About With Dr. Joshua Schultz

    FEB 12

    A Structural Engineering Niche Most Don't Know About With Dr. Joshua Schultz

    When you think of “Structural Engineering,” you likely picture big concrete or steel structures. Right? 🤔 Exactly — and that’s the problem! 👇 There’s a whole corner of that industry outside of these two materials that most Structural Engineers have never been taught or exposed to before. 😯 Today, we talk to Dr. Joshua Schultz, PhD, P.E. He’s a Structural Engineering professor and consultant whose path started off in architecture, took him to work on the Burj Khalifa, and then led him into a specialty most Structural Engineers overlook. In this episode, he dives into what this unique niche is, why it’s so unique, and how it brings up a lot of factors of the design work in the real world that school doesn’t teach (from a professor himself!). If you’re a Structural Engineer — or thinking about becoming one — this episode opens your eyes to career paths you didn’t even know were on the table. There’s more out there than buildings and bridges…if you’re willing to look. 😉 So, go check out this episode to take your first step into this Structural Engineering niche most people never talk about. 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: While He Keeps Doing Consulting Work Even as a Full-Time Professor The Little-Known Structural Engineering Niche His Career Took Him To The Reason Why Using Mass Timber for Structural Design is Still a Challenge The Biggest Challenge for Structural Engineers to Use Mass Timber Today Has the Interest in a Civil Engineering Degree Been Decreasing? Why the New Generation is Going for Civil Engineering vs. Why the Last Generation Did Non-Technical Aspects That Drive Any Project But are Not Emphasized in School Why Lightweight Structures are so Unique His Favorite Lightweight Project in His Career so Far His Book on Lightweight Structures for Structural Engineers (And Why He Wrote It) His Experience Designing the Tallest Stair in the World's Tallest Building! His 2 Biggest Pieces of Advice for Future Structural Engineers That Nothing Can Beat 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Structural Design of Lightweight Architecture, by Joshua Schultz Gonzaga University Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Brooklyn Academy of Music “How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?” 💬 CONNECT WITH JOSHUA: LinkedIn schultzj@gonzaga.edu 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channelsupport@civilengineeringacademy.com

    42 min
  3. A Single Mom's Journey to Pass the PE After 5 Years and 4 Tries With Bianca Wilson

    FEB 5

    A Single Mom's Journey to Pass the PE After 5 Years and 4 Tries With Bianca Wilson

    Passing the PE Exam is difficult enough already. Now imagine doing it as a single mother, with 3 successive failed attempts over 5 years, and having to start from scratch after switching exams? 😮 That’s exactly why this episode with Bianca Wilson hits different. She’s a Geotech Project Manager who just passed the Civil PE Exam after 4 tries over 5 years — long after most people would’ve folded already. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In this interview, she opens up about the emotional rollercoaster this journey has been to her as a single mom. The tough calls she had to make in life to get this done. The decision to switch exams and start over. The tight budget she had to get help to get over this hump. All the way to the study habits and how she organized her schedule to find time to study…with a full-time job and a kid! If you’re a repeat taker, questioning whether you’ll ever get to cross the finish line, this episode has some honest lessons from someone who had every reason to quit, but didn’t — and passed instead! ✅ Go check it out! 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: Her Long PE Journey from 2020 to 2025 in a Nutshell Her Controversial Take on Switching Exams...After Doing It Herself What She Had to Overcome to Pass After Switching Exams (And How She Did It) How She Managed to Study as a Single Mother The Minimum Study Time Required to Pass the PE, in Her Opinion The Importance of Accountability in Your Exam Prep How She Found CEA's PE Course And What She Loved About It Her Tips for Approaching Practice Exams That You Should Listen The Exam-Day Test-Taking Strategy We Share in Our Course That Helped Her Pass How the CBT Exam Simulator Helped Her Prep for the Actual CBT Exam How to Get a Handle on All the Codes You Need to Know for Your Exam Has the CERM Really Become Obsolete for the New PE Format? Her Biggest Surprise on Exam Day (Hint: The PE Isn't as "Tricky" as You Think) How the Different AIT Questions Stack Against One Another in Difficulty The 4 Surprisingly Simple Secrets to Passing the PE Exam How It Really Feels After You Pass the PE Exam Would She Recommend Civil Engineering Academy to Others? 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Civil PE Review Courses PE CBT Exam Simulator A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities Georgia DOT 💬 CONNECT WITH BIANCA: LinkedIn 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide REE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    33 min
  4. The Future of Civil Engineering School With AI: Raising or Lowering the Bar?

    JAN 29

    The Future of Civil Engineering School With AI: Raising or Lowering the Bar?

    AI is already everywhere. Students are using it. Companies are relying on it. And schools are feeling the pressure to do the same. The question is — is it  raising the bar…or quietly lowering it? 🤔 In this episode, Mark jumps back on the show to break down a recent ASCE article that unpacks how AI is starting to reshape civil engineering education. Probably forever. By changing how students learn and taking over work tasks once done by entry-level civil engineers, AI has shed a light on how the traditional 4-year programs may no longer be the best (or only) path to prepare civil engineers for the real world. But there’s a catch… The current use of AI also reveals the engineering skills it can’t replace — and why those matter more than ever before and won’t change no matter how advanced the tools get. (Hint: Thin includes the professional licensure exams!) So, if you're a civil engineering student or a working civil engineer wondering where this is all headed, this episode tackles all the uncomfortable truths of an AI-heavy future — without the hype or fear-mongering. 👍 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: How AI First Started Being Used in Civil Engineering A Real-Life Example of the Downside of Using AI in Engineering 3 Reasons Why There's a Huge Pressure to Use AI Today The Biggest Problem With AI In Engineering Right Now Will AI Replace a Civil Engineering Degree? Will AI Ever Take Over the Job of the Civil Engineer? How AI Will Change Civil Engineering Undergrad Programs (But Not Completely) Two Past Instances When Tech Seemed to Threat Engineering Jobs...But Didn't What the Future of Civil Engineering Education Looks Like 2 Critical Engineering Skills That Will Still Matter in the Age of AI What Academia is Worried About With the AI Takeover AI-Proficient vs. Skilled Civil Engineer: Who's a Better hire? Is In-Person Classroom Civil Engineering Education Outdated (Even Without AI)? How to Implement AI in Schools Without Turning It into "Prompt Class?" The Biggest Challenge of Implementing AI Civil Engineering The AI Impact on the FE and PE Licensure Exams Why Civil Engineering is a Good Field to Hedge Against the Impact of AI on Jobs 🚨 OUR NEW YEAR SALE ENDS THIS SUNDAY! 🚨 Discount: 20% OFF any review course Code at Checkout: NEWYEARSALE Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM MST. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: ASCE Article 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: Civil FE Practice Exams Civil FE CBT Exam Simulator Civil PE Bonus Theory Questions Civil PE Practice Exams Civil PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    32 min
  5. Starting and Running Your Own Structural Engineering Practice With Daniel Bressler

    JAN 22

    Starting and Running Your Own Structural Engineering Practice With Daniel Bressler

    Ever told yourself you’d “start your own firm one day?” 🤔 Most civil engineers have, but they kick it down the road because they don’t know what it takes. If that’s you, this interview with Daniel Bressler is a must. He’s a Structural Engineer who walked the walk you’re planning to walk.  In this episode, he breaks down the big “Aha! moment” that got him to take the leap, the experience dilemma you’ll face, and the big difference between running a firm and doing the engineering work to prevent yourself from just getting another job once you get started. If working for yourself is on your radar, go give this one a listen. 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: Why He Started His Own Engineering Firm...Despite Not Wanting to The Experience Dilemma to Start a Firm: Do You Have Enough of It...or Will You Ever? The Difference Between Owning Your Job and Owning Your Company (Live By This!) The Advantages of a LLC That Make It a Good Move for All Engineers How to Get a Business Education to Grow Your Firm as a Civil Engineer The Two Biggest Business Challenges Every Newly Founded Firm Face The (Realistic) Value of the Brutal SE Exam How He Organized Himself to Get His PE After Grad School A BIG Mistake He Made After Graduating (That You Should Never Make!) 2 Reasons Why Keeping in Touch With Your Classmates Can Help You at Work Our Hot Takes on the Value of a Master's Degree: Is It Worth it? ASCE Resources He Used to Get Ahead — in School and Beyond 2 Pieces of Advice He Gives to Anyone Getting Started in Structural Engineering 🚨 OUR NEW YEAR SALE IS LIVE 🚨 Discount: 20% OFF any review course Code at Checkout: NEWYEARSALE Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM MST. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: CEA Podcast Ep #312 (SE Exam) CEA Podcast #229 (Colten Johnson) ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) ASCE Mentor Match ASCE Collaborate Community ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition ASCE Steel Bridge Competition 2023 ASCE New Faces of Civil Engineering Brooklyn College New York University 💬 CONNECT WITH DANIEL: LinkedIn Company Website 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    42 min
  6. The Geotech Influencer Growing Engineering Firms Worldwide With David Jasinski

    JAN 15

    The Geotech Influencer Growing Engineering Firms Worldwide With David Jasinski

    Long gone were the days when engineering was only about the technical work! Today, you can take your technical skills, flip it, and use it in a way that’s never been possible before — and this episode is proof of that. 👇 Today’s guest is David Jasinski, a geologist who built a career in the geotechnical industry and has done work in many, many countries that’s even hard to keep track of them all. 😅 Along the way, he transitioned into a more business development role selling sheet piles and other geotech products…and that’s when he got started with social media content. Now, he’s amassed more than 141,000 followers on LinkedIn alone and become the go-to person for engineering firms to partner with to share their message and educate their customers on the products they sell. (Who said engineers cannot be influencers? 😂) If you’re a young engineer worried about the options for you in the field, this episode is a testament to the fact that engineering can take you way further than you even think possible. Go give this a listen to find out how you can pair your engineering skills with other business-related skills to build a “non-traditional career”...that makes all the sense to you! 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: His Transition from Technical Engineer to Business Development How the Engineering Work and Business Factors Vary By Country 3 Tips for Young Engineers to Get to Know All the Paths They Can Go The BIGGEST Problem of Engineering Companies in Today's World Why "Cost-Effectiveness" as a General Term is Wrong 3 Business Aspects Where Engineering Firms Fall Short Why He Got Started on Social Media (+ How He's Using It for Business) Content Tips for Engineering Firms to Build a Brand Online Why He Created His Career Guide for Young Engineers His Work-Life Balance With His Job + LinkedIn Content Creation on the Side His Single Most Important Piece of Advice for Everybody in Engineering 🚨 OUR NEW YEAR SALE IS LIVE 🚨 Discount: 20% OFF any review course Code at Checkout: NEWYEARSALE Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM MST. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: ESC Steel ARUP Pietrucha Group Silesian University of Technology 💬 CONNECT WITH DAVID: geosolucionesdr@gmail.com LinkedIn Instagram TikTok YouTube X (Old Twitter) Threads 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    30 min
  7. 10 Years of Civil Engineering Academy (+ New Year Gift for You!)

    JAN 9

    10 Years of Civil Engineering Academy (+ New Year Gift for You!)

    Civil Engineering Academy is turning 10 years old! 🎉 To celebrate it, we’re looking back at how it went from an idea after a huge frustration with the PE to helping thousands of civil engineers get licensed. Today, Mark Oakeson jumps on the show again and shoots questions at Isaac to dig into the real story and current operations behind CEA. From the early struggles and building prep materials on late nights and weekends…all the way to managing a growing team of practicing civil engineers to produce those materials and the single metric we use to judge whether we’re being successful in our mission. If you’ve ever used any of our resources (free or paid), you’ve contributed big time to this huge milestone in our story. As a thank-you for that, we’re running a special promotion to celebrate our 10-year anniversary…but you're the one getting the gift. 😉 So, go give this episode a listen and celebrate 10 years of Civil Engineering Academy with us! 🎉 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: Isaac's Face-Slapping PE Experience That Gave The Idea for a PE Prep Platform The Early Days: How CEA Got Started ONE Thing That Makes CEA Different from Other Prep Companies The Biggest Early Challenge He Faced Growing CEA (on the Side of a Full-Time Job) The Evolution of the CEA Team When CEA Started Clicking The Difficulties of Managing an Enterprise With a Growing Team How CEA Has Been Able to Grow Over 10 Years (And the Challenges of It) The Overarching Mission of CEA How CEA Measures Its Success as a Company (Hint: It's not What You Think!) Examples of Past CEA Students With Awesome Journeys to Become PEs The Fun Side of Running CEA (+ the Real Motivation Behind It) What We Have in the Pipeline for CEA The Future of CEA in the "New Industry" That Will Pop Up Due to AI Will AI Replace Civil Engineers and Tutors? Our 10-Year Celebration That YOU Benefit From! 🚨 OUR NEW YEAR SALE IS LIVE 🚨 Discount: 20% OFF any review course Code at Checkout: NEWYEARSALE Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM MST. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: CEA Podcast Ep 270 (Alberto Ortigão) CEA Podcast Ep 263 (Jessica Wellcome) CEA Podcast Ep 258 (Connor Aycock) CEA Podcast Ep 64 (Zdeněk Vymazal) CEA Podcast Ep 215 (AI to Help You Pass Your Exam) All CEA Success Stories 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    42 min
  8. How to Build a Profitable Civil Engineering Business with The Profit Doctor

    JAN 1

    How to Build a Profitable Civil Engineering Business with The Profit Doctor

    A lot of civil engineers dream of having their own firm one day and all the good things they think come with it…until they do and they’re working crazy hours to barely even make ends meet. 😟  Why? “Profititis.” In this episode, we sit down with Ben Hansen — aka The Profit Doctor. He went from Microsoft to building an eight-figure consulting business, and now works with firms doing $5–50M to help them keep more of what they earn and essentially kill “Profititis” once and for all. This isn’t one of those fluffy “raise your prices” conversations. It’s a real look at where profit actually leaks out of businesses, how (the wrong) people quietly drain margins, and why profit isn’t just the owner’s job. If you’re planning to start your own firm or practice, this episode gives you a massive head start. You'll have the antidote to one of the biggest business-killers before you ever hang your own shingle. 🧠 TUNE IN TO LEARN: 2 Biggest Aspects of Civil Engineering That Hurts Its Profit Potential Is the "Drive to the Bottom Bid" Exclusive to Civil Engineering? What is "Profititis"? The Minimum Financial Literacy You Need to Have to Start Your Own Firm The Biggest Rule of Thumb to Grow Profitability Instantly What Really Generates Almost All the Problems in a Business Are Employee-Owned Companies More Profitable? Should Employees Worry About Profit Too? The Profit Margins in Engineering Services (+ What You Should Aim at to Win) How Profitability Knowledge Applies to Your Engineering Work as an Employee The "People" Problem Inside Companies That Affects Profits How to Find the 10 Places Where Your Business is Likely Leaking Profitability 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Entrepreneurs' Organization Profit CFO Program Profitability Leak Detector University of Pennsylvania The 80/20 Principle, by Richard Koch State of the Global Workplace Study, by Gallup 💬 CONNECT WITH BEN: LinkedIn Website Instagram YouTube 🎁 OUR FREEBIES FOR YOU: The Civil FE Startup Guide The Civil PE Startup Guide FREE CFM® Course Module 🖥️ OUR REVIEW COURSES: Civil FE Review Course Civil PE Review Courses CFM® Review Course 📚 OUR PRACTICE EXAMS: FE Practice Exams FE CBT Exam Simulator PE Bonus Theory Questions PE Practice Exams PE CBT Exam Simulator CFM® Practice Exam FE Environmental Practice Exam PE Environmental Practice Exam 📱 CONNECT WITH CEA! Website Newsletter Free CEA Community LinkedIn YouTube Channel support@civilengineeringacademy.com

    37 min
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Welcome to The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast - your ultimate guide to everything related to civil engineering! Our goal is to support you at every stage of your journey to becoming a successful professional civil engineer, and to help you enhance your career and personal life. We share our expertise and provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed. Join us for informative and engaging discussions on exam preparation strategies, career development, and cutting-edge engineering innovations. Whether you're preparing to ace the civil FE or PE exam, looking to adv

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