Civil Engineering Academy Podcast Ep. 59 - Pass the Civil FE with DJ Leslie

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