Prepineer Digest 019
FE Exam success, (un)complicating the journey, free expansion and retaining more
Now that we are closing in on the half-way mark of 2021, I’ve got a question…
Are you any closer to passing the FE Exam than you were 6 months ago?
There are many of you spinning your wheels, not knowing what to do – or how – to get your career and life moving back in the direction you want – and this has put you in a holding pattern waiting for a “better time”.
Problem is, it’s likely that a “better time” will never come and while you wait for it, you will continue to build walls, narratives, that will end up only making it more difficult to make the move.
This is a scenario we see everyday at Prepineer and it’s holding too many talented people back from living a life of personal and professional fulfillment.
Is this you?
If so, we are here to show you that chronic inaction doesn’t need to be your story.
The journey starts with a (very) small first step, and then another…and another.
We are here to help you do just that and put the FE Exam behind you once and for all! 🙂
Justin Dickmeyer, PE
Founder, Prepineer
The goods
What’s featured in this weeks digest
In this Prepineer digest, we are diving deep in to some of the more important components of exam prep, inching you forward, one brick at a time, towards success on the FE Exam – here is the rundown:
- Let’s discuss the biggest obstacle holding engineers (and maybe you) back from taking the FE Exam: A (not so) complicated journey
- Need some reps in practice, we’ve got you covered, walking you through a practice problem in Mechanics of Materials: How do you determine the Free Expansion of a pipe?
- What do you do when you feel like you aren’t remembering anything? How do I retain more of what I am studying?
- At the brink of hanging it up, Paul leaned in to his biggest doubts – and won: Letting frustration lead the way: The inspirational story of Paul Trutner, PE
Click where you’d like to start, or check out each resource individually, whichever way you go, enjoy!
Quick tip
A (not so) complicated journey
The biggest obstacle holding students back from taking on the FE Exam isn’t knowledge.
It isn’t how long you have been out of school or that you have a full time job with very little, if any “free time”.
It’s not the fact that you have already taken the exam and failed.
It’s none of that.
The biggest obstacle is actually something most of us won’t give any merit too, though time and time again, it’s the foundation of most every excuse I hear from students who are coming in to Prepineer.
The biggest obstacle holding students back from taking on the FE Exam is the buying in to the false narrative that what feels like a complicated journey should actually, well, not feel complicated at all.
All of the common excuses we hear are rarely actual obstacles without a solution. They only feel insurmountable because of insecurity in the midst of uncertainty having a way of distorting our realities.
Uncertainty narrows our view from what is occurring in the moment and parks it on the ultimate end goal we are desiring to get to.
The problem isn’t in the uncertainty itself, but how we frame and allow it to manifest itself when it’s present.
You see, when we set out to get after any major life goal of ours, there is a natural tendency to give more credence to the discomfort that creeps up.
It’s uncomfortable seeing the NCEES specifications for the first time.
It’s uncomfortable to think about how long you have been out of school.
It’s uncomfortable thinking about taking the Other Disciplines exam as opposed to your discipline specific exam.
I get it.
Discomfort manifests doubts, even more so post-academia when we don’t have the structure of peers, professors and dedicated time blocks to operate within.
But hear me out on this …
Being intimidated is OK, doubting your abilities is OK, being rusty is OK – allowing yourself to buy in to the false narrative that you shouldn’t be feeling any of these IS NOT.
This narrative – if it hasn’t already – will lead you towards seeking a “better time”.
A “better time” that may balloon in to a year, 5 years, even a decade down the road before you decide it’s time to take action – if you do at all.
After over a decade of helping engineers just like you, I am just being real.
Look, it’s natural to move to protect yourself in times of uncertainty – but we need to stop buying in to the false narrative that we shouldn’t be feeling any resistance, any doubts, as we step forth to become a licensed engineer.
In fact, the resistance should be indication that we are on to something.
So today, let those emotions flow.
Feel them, embrace them and ultimately lean in to them.
Your greatest growth has always come outside of your comfort zone.
Let’s get it.
As always, with love, Prepineer
Daily Dose
How do find the Free Expansion of a pipe?
Analyzing our designs under uniform static conditions is one thing, analyzing them under varying stresses and strains is yet another.
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS brings the empirical relationships we pull from MATERIAL SCIENCE and lays them into a the logical framework of ENGINEERING MECHANICS. Sounds complicated, but in reality, it’s just another layer of the onion we can learn to peel back.
In this video, we dive in to an FE Exam Practice Problem in the subject of MECHANICS OF MATERIALS, specifically dealing with THERMAL EXPANSION.
Enjoy! 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I retain more of what I am studying?
There are many components that must come together in route to a successful run at the FE Exam.
From the simple task of just getting started to fitting it all in to an already jam packed schedule.
But what about the silent war that will wage on us from the get, only to intensify as the days pass and the exam gets closer?
Let’s discuss actually remembering what you learn:
Student Success
Paul Trutner, PE
Today we take a step in to the world of Paul Trutner, a Professional Engineer and Prepineer success who was past the point of frustration with where he was in his career when we met.
I know many of you may be exactly where is was today, possibly hung up, feeling defeated and unsure of what the future holds.
We love success stories, especially when they come from students we guide following a failure (or multiple), they are nothing short of inspiring – better yet, they allow us to share just how possible this pursuit is for you!
Until we meet again my friend, may God bless you and your family! 🙂
