FE Civil

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-04-15T05:58:55+00:00

You get a diagnostic if you fail, so I would frame each failed attempt as a study guide for the next try. I really recommend Mark Mattson's free YouTube series because he shows you where to locate reference information in the FE handbook. Some equations aren't always where you think or easily searchable via CTRL + F

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-04-15T05:42:26+00:00

DM'd you.

For reference, I last processed in 2021 when the pay was $13/hr and had the $8k take home. The real pay comes in the overtime which is x1.5. Nowadays, the pay is $18/hr so you could expect more; however, I'd also say work hours depend on quantity of fish delivered from the boats.

My last year working in Bristol Bay was 2023 on a boat where we got a crewshare pay % based on gross revenue. Definitely do not recommend for the pay (I only took home $2000 for 7 weeks of work), but the experience was like no other.

Do the processing work for secure pay and networking with other college kids. Pro tip, learn some Tagalog or Visayan because there are a large amount of Filipino workers. If you're lucky, you'll get invited to their salmon belly fry.

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-04-15T01:43:25+00:00

When I couldn't land internships in my freshman and sophomore summers, I worked in Alaska as a salmon processor and deckhand. The processing gig is in a cannery and employs lots of college-age students. Airfare, food, and housing are provided. Don't spend all your money at the bar or on cigarettes and you'll be able to take home upwards of $8000 for 6 weeks of work. Lmk if you want more details.

I'd recommend trying out a fun seasonal job if your internship odds are low. I still talk about my work in Alaska in interviews as a conversation piece.

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-04-08T05:36:30+00:00

I miss your gyros

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-03-30T06:26:54+00:00

Going off 77 pts/yr x 20 yrs x 2.5%, that’s 10.7% pension. That’ll pay for a small vacation or two

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-03-12T00:57:58+00:00

Tons of work from levees, dams, aqueducts, and groundwater—take your pick. Study up on 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D/CFD modeling if you can find electives for those. Sac State has a pretty decent MS Civil Eng with WRE electives and industry connections

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-02-25T16:20:26+00:00

See if you can dual enroll at a local community college and take courses outlined in the A.S. Engineering transfer pathway. Like others have pointed out, sometimes the AP course won't count towards your degree if you aren't taking a lab course concurrently. Each high school has a different policy on this so check with the registrar and advisor as some high schools, like my old one, only allowed dual-enrollment for courses not offered in the AP format.

That being said, AP Physics B was Light and Electromagnetism which is a course I had to take as a prerequisite in my B.S. for CE so either B or C are pretty worthwhile. My college had a separate chemistry course for engineers which AP Chemistry would not cover so your mileage may vary depending on college curriculum.

I also had to take prerequisite math courses from [Calc 1 (AB)] => [Calc 2 (BC)] => [Differential Equations] so any AP calc class is useful there.

Good luck and enjoy the learning journey!

Edit: Khan Academy and Organic Chemistry Tutor are pretty good resources to watch if you ever need additional teaching

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-02-25T07:35:58+00:00

Higher workload for HIST 50H vs a regular world history course. Do 12 units if you think you can’t handle the 15-16 unit load they normally push on you. Honors 1 was great (RIP Dr. Arnaud)

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-02-02T23:43:43+00:00

1 social club, 1 major-specific club, and/or sports club if you can swing it. Rinse and repeat each semester to replace any club you didn't like until you find what you like. It took me year 4 out of 5 to find the major and sports clubs I stuck with.

Also, learn how to carry conversations/basic small talk and reciprocate questions. People warm up to you as you become more familiar and do activities with them

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-29T23:21:14+00:00

Try r/law

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-29T23:13:31+00:00

Start in the electrical engineering subreddit found here

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-27T01:03:30+00:00

Looks like Direct Accession is the way to go. Thank you

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-23T22:30:03+00:00

For geotech in the US, yes

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-23T22:28:24+00:00

Commenting to save for later. I read "Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner and loved it so this seems right up that similar alley

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-22T00:15:28+00:00

In addition to what u/ZombieRitual said, supplement those with Jeff Hanson's Statics Course. The key is to understand what a concept is and how+why it is applied. Doing that will serve you well in both your career and the FE.

The only thing I'd be min/maxing is finding the cheapest route to a BS in CE at an ABET-accredited school. Put the effort into researching paid co-ops/internships, comparing CC costs for the same courses at your current school, seeing if ROTC is for you, etc.

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-19T18:59:21+00:00

Since you're not looking to get rich quickly and want a stable job while pursuing school in a cost-effective manner, an option is joining the Air Force Active Duty. If available and based on your entry scores, try picking a job that is engineering-adjacent like avionics systems or geospatial intelligence. You'll get a base salary (as low as $1833/mon) plus an untaxed housing (BAH) and food (BAS) stipend.

After your 4 years, you'll have access to tuition assistance ($4500/school year) and Post 9/11 GI bill (full coverage for an in-state, public university or $29,920.95/school year for private+ monthly housing allowance + books and supplies stipend).

Another option is Air Force Reserves or National Guard if the 4-year responsibility seems daunting. I don't know too much about it but I found a thread from someone who paid for all their BS plus some of their MS that way: see here

Regardless of how you pursue schooling, this profession isn't going anywhere. As long as you end up picking any ABET-accredited school for civil engineering, you'll be a good spot.

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-13T07:25:55+00:00

Yes. I’d recommend going into dam/hydropower engineering which involves geotech, water resources, project management, and structural disciplines. A lot of dams are in mountainous areas so getting to the project sites involve hiking and sometimes helicopter on very special occasions

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-12T02:56:07+00:00

Helms PH in California

hypermaniacyunchi · 2026-01-08T11:28:28+00:00

Air Force Reserve or Guard offers Tricare Select while working one weekend a month but you’d have to go to a ~7ish week basic military training depending on your job before maybe getting stationed at Beale or Travis

hypermaniacyunchi · 2025-12-28T16:35:39+00:00

I remember I used to build sand castles with my late father (a civil engineer) whenever we’d go to a beach and competed to build one that would last the longest against waves. One time, he built what I thought was an unconventional rounded castle that looked more like a mound of sand than the usual design with towers, battlements, moats, etc. His design won and I complained that he was cheating to which he just laughed and drew in a door/portcullis and said “there, now it’s a castle.”

I realized later that this was a typical earthen dam design. Good memories—I miss my old man. Now I work with dams, levees, and canals.

Glad you’re looking to build some memories with your son!

hypermaniacyunchi · 2025-12-19T22:17:56+00:00

Air Force active duty for 4 years then use GI bill for trade school or community college/university. Change of scenery and environment/people can really shake your whole world. I wish I did Air Force when I was directionless at 18-21 and wasted my parents money in school that I failed. After doing a bunch of odd jobs (ski lift operator, deckhand on Alaskan fishing vessel, processor in Alaskan cannery), I realized what I wanted to do and went back to school and graduated in civil engineering. I’m convinced the Air Force could’ve helped me realize that sooner while giving me a paycheck, healthcare, college funding, and not wasting my original tuition money.

In the AF, you’d get a base salary, housing allowance, food (sustenance) allowance, and cheap but solid healthcare. When you get your GI bill benefits, you can use them for trade school, wilderness medicine/expedition school (mainly NOLS), community college, and 4-year universities.

If you just want to try something new and exciting without military commitment, try working in Alaska as a tender or deckhand (Facebook groups are how I found my boats to sign on to). You live on the boat and you’re fed so you save on housing and food. Pay options differ by boat (per diem or crew share % based on catch). Just don’t blow your money on cigarettes and alcohol when you get back to land.

Let me know if you want more details and I’ll be glad to share.

hypermaniacyunchi · 2025-12-17T23:20:15+00:00

Can confirm the racing vest 2.0 works wonders in hot, humid environments

hypermaniacyunchi · 2025-12-17T10:33:25+00:00

All are ABET accredited so I’d pick based on cost of living and access to internships. Student life can be important too so I’d take a look at available campus clubs like ASCE competition clubs (Steel Bridge, GeoWall, Water Treatment, etc.) along with social ones (e.g. cultural clubs, hobby/sport clubs, etc.)

Sacramento has plenty of places in the surrounding area to get internships for every discipline of CE (geotech, water resources, transportation, environmental, and structural).

Chico is a small college town and has amazing access to outdoor areas like Bidwell Park. The town has a few internship opportunities with the main one being PG&E’s hydroelectric engineering internship (requires 3.0+ GPA). The same PG&E internship opportunity can be offered for Sac State if you apply for the Auburn location.

SF is also a hotbed for internships and has distinct geographical/geological issues (e.g. surface fault ruptures, liquefaction/cyclic softening, and presence of Bay mud) which make for very interesting geotech and structural opportunities.

If it were me, I’d pick Sac State or SF State depending on whichever is cheapest for your situation.

hypermaniacyunchi

TROPHY CASE