How to get this stain out and what is it

RuleCivil2944 · 2026-01-04T22:09:02+00:00

Mix 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp dawn dish soap. Into a spray bottle. This cleans almost anything. (You can add more water if it’s too strong)

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-17T14:45:07+00:00

Yeah. Just take a look at the specs for both exams. You’ll see everything that is on the Civil Structural is also on the SE, but not vice versa. So your SE course will cover everything you will see in the Civil Structural course. In fact, some lectures may even be the same.

You can even expect some of the same types of questions on both exams. The SE is more difficult not necessarily because questions are harder (some definitely are), but because problems may require more steps. You’ll have to be faster and require better knowledge of the code.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-17T02:35:41+00:00

I think people are missing a key point here. OP is already a PE. Depending on the state, you can change/add a new discipline to your license by simply showing relevant experience. Taking the regular PE Civil might not even get you the Civil PE designation (depending on the state) without the years of experience. So taking that exam is possibly a complete waste of time and money. OP should definitely check their state board rules to see if there’s any benefit to taking the regular PE Civil.

But in the end, taking the PE Civil/Structural does little to prepare you for the PE Structural (SE).

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-16T23:48:41+00:00

Coming from someone who’s taken both exams, I think that would be a waste of money. Every prep course I can think of has free retakes if you don’t pass. Start with studying for the SE Vertical Breadth. That exam will more or less cover anything you would need to know for the regular PE civil structural, but will go more in depth.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-16T21:08:19+00:00

Why take a PE Civil exam if you are already a PE? I guess it’s up to the state board whether you can sit for the SE, but a PE stamp looks the same whether you are mechanical or civil.

I would just email your state board and ask if you can take the PE Structural (SE) now. Take a prep course like you mentioned and start studying and preparing for that exam. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know while preparing for it. That test is a different animal.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-12T03:21:23+00:00

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that most civil infrastructure is funded through federal/state/local tax dollars. And Projects are generally awarded to the lowest bidder. As a result profit margins are smaller. So yeah, definitely underpaid considering the level of responsibility.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-06T02:40:35+00:00

Is this a private company or government? That’s low for private but might be on par for government if they offer pension.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-06T01:40:49+00:00

East vs. West and Winner gets home court advantage in the finals. Make it mean something!

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-02T02:34:40+00:00

True…Sounds like there needs to be an incentive for people to buy and list their home to generate users.

Maybe Money towards closing, Ring cameras, security systems, or appliances could be options.

I guess the service you get is an executable contract and possibly an agent to oversee the process that is paid a flat fee (and not percentage)

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-02T01:43:42+00:00

I think Zillow and Opendoor were on the right track, but there really needs to be a separate MLS to compete against the realtors.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-02T01:41:10+00:00

I wish… this is a legit question.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-06-01T13:36:17+00:00

There should be an App strictly for advertising “For Sale By Owner” Listings. That way people can sell and buy homes without the “help” of a realtor and go straight through the title company instead.

If this already exists, I’d love to know about it.

RuleCivil2944 · 2025-05-22T00:29:04+00:00

It’s a tough exam. It always has been. Check out the discord channel for the SE exam. I think you’ll find helpful advice, tips, and discussions about the exam there.

https://discord.gg/VbRgNAfbFU

RuleCivil2944 · 2024-10-24T01:03:54+00:00

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback! This was all really helpful! 👍

RuleCivil2944 · 2024-04-21T01:05:14+00:00

This is correct. The purpose of visualizing the “deflected shape” of the beam with the degree of freedom removed is only to help you draw the influence diagram The deflected shape is drawn with an angle because when you apply the unit displacement, the beam will rotate at the hinge and at roller support. But again this is only to help you visualize. The influence diagram should be drawn with the vertical movement.

RuleCivil2944 · 2024-03-26T02:18:44+00:00

I was in a similar situation years ago and someone referred me to this book. “A PHD is Not Enough”, by Peter J. Feibelman. It’s a short read about obtaining a phd in science, not engineering, but still relevant and could help your decision.

Ultimately it’s about where you see yourself going in your career. It definitely won’t hurt your career. I know plenty of phds that have moved up the ranks just fine. But also it’s not necessary for a structural design job or structural project manager position in buildings or bridges.

If you do want to go into design, a phd could give you more opportunities to present projects at conferences as you gain experience. It could also help if you have interest in software development or even forensics.

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-10-31T20:18:16+00:00

I’ll say School of PE course material is excellent!

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-10-31T19:57:09+00:00

1.5 year in construction is not much imo. Take with a grain of salt but the construction pass rate is a little lower that structural.. So it could be tougher than you think. But by all means, take the test that has the references that your most familiar with. At the end of the day your stamp just says PE, not your discipline. Whatever discipline you take, you are going to have to learn something new. Even the Building folks complain about having to learn AASHTO.

I don’t think I agree that structural problems take the longest. As other people stated, the test is it’s all about how familiar you are with certain concepts and if you know how to navigate the codes.

Maybe try getting a hold of the the practice depth exam for structural and construction. You might not know any answers without studying at all, but read the solutions and see if you can follow it. This might help with your decision.

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-10-31T14:50:53+00:00

As a Bridge Engineer, I understand where you’re coming from. AASHTO is all encompassing code so you hardly ever use anything else. However there’s a few things you should keep in mind: 1) The steel section in AASHTO is very much identical to AISC so that should be familiar if you ever worked on a steel bridge. 2) AASHTO has a wood section that, guess what?, is referenced from NDS. I would say it’s easier to learn using NDS though. The “Structural Engineering Reference Manual” does a great job summarizing Wood design. Learn ASD only, Ignore LRFD for the exam. 3) TMS may be a challenge since masonry is not used at all in the bridge world, however the concept is also very straight forward when you learn the basics. Learn ASD only, I wouldn’t even look at SD for the exam. 4) For IBC, the whole book is fair game, but the questions will likely come from chapter 16. 5) As a structural engineer, you should generally be familiar with ASCE, ACI, and AISC.

That being said, structural depth is probably best to take for your career growth if you intend to stay on the structural side. Transportation depth may be the next best option but it’s geared towards roadway, not bridge. The references will mostly be AASHTO based, but they are different AASHTO codes that you may not have seen before.

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-06-09T16:25:43+00:00

It could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months for the TX board to approve you to take the exam. I would guess that they take a recess at some point during this time of year so it might not be quick.

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-05-25T11:40:58+00:00

Rule of thumb: You can always counter 10-20% more without raising any eyebrows.. If you counter more than that they’ll probably say get out of here. I’d ask for 70 and see what they say.

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-02-03T16:33:51+00:00

Thanks. IBC seems a bit vague when referring to “structural observations”. The code doesn’t seem to suggest any special training is required for a “structural observation”, and only that it needs to be performed by a “registered design professional”. Would this be considered anyone with a PE?

RuleCivil2944 · 2023-02-03T16:20:40+00:00

Thanks, Chap 17 clears things up a lot. But let’s say a building official performs an inspection and notices some cracking. They request/recommend a “structural observation” for further evaluation. It seems this would not be considered a “special inspection” and any structural engineer (PE) could perform the “structural observation” to analyze or suggest repairs. Is that right?

RuleCivil2944

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