Prepineer Digest 020
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 dream, or lack thereof: Dream(ers)
- 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
Dream(ers)
As little ones, growing up, we all envisioned a life without obstacles.
Their were no politics.
No division.
No this or that.
There were just playgrounds and soccer fields.
Dirt and bugs.
Trees and water.
Our agenda was so clear cut:
Get up, play, go to bed (make sure we delayed that as long as we could) and repeat.
Everyone in our life encouraged us, our support system was strong, building us up every time we felt slightly degraded.
Mom and Dad were pumped on everything we did.
“Oh, you kicked it in to your own goal…great job Rick!!”
Our friends couldn’t wait to hang out with us.
…Oh how the tide has changed.
Nowadays, we reflect back on that part of our lives and can’t help but realize just how off kilter our perspective was.
That’s just real talk.
We grew up living a fairy tale of sorts, which in and of itself isn’t a bad thing.
The bad thing is that we have allowed those dreams to drift away – we let go.
I believe we should all be living in a fairy tale regardless of our age and experiences.
The problem doesn’t lay within the dream, but with our inability to continue to dream in the midst of all the chaos as life progresses.
The constant barrage of external pressure leaves us bleeding with doubt, settling in to an engineering career that is less than fulfilling.
And here’s the reality of how it all plays out…
Most people with an engineering degree will head to a job only to sit behind a cubicle for years until they retire, drawing lifeless line after line, recognizing the disconnect between what they feel they can do and what they are really doing – yet they will do nothing about it.
Most people with an engineering degree will settle in to a role of doing exactly what they are told to do, crippled by a fear of taking charge of their own careers. Genius ideas will settle for meaningless tasks and other people’s agendas in hopes that one day some amazing turn of events will reinvigorate the passion.
Most people with an engineering degree want more from their career– more challenging projects, more ideas implemented, more control, more satisfaction, and overall more enjoyment – but they will never achieve what they want because they will accept a false narrative that becoming a successful Engineer is unattainable at “this age”.
Question is…are you like ‘most people’?
What happened to the big dreamer in you?
Where once their were no limits, they are as stout as a Wildebeest, as fierce as a Honey Badger.
But hear me out – I am not here to sell you some magic bullet…
I am here to sell…welp, you.
Understand that to progress in life, we must dream big despite all the chaos that surrounds us.
Most people can’t do this.
Most people won’t do this.
Engineering is hard – yes.
You will have to put in the work – yes.
I get it, looking at the NCEES specifications is enough to give the whole journey the bird, especially since much of it includes stuff you haven’t seen since the day you walked down that aisle to grab your diploma.
But..
It’s Doable.
It’s not a hoop dream.
I’ve seen students who were roughed up from past failed attempts, get up, dust themselves off and go on to be Professional Engineers.
Heck, I’ve seen students who had dropped out of the industry altogether come in to give it one last go, succeed and go on to become PE’s in multiple states.
Today, I challenge you to dream again.
I challenge you to fall in love with the process of growth again.
You see, when you become romantic with the process, the path of travel doesn’t matter.
It just happens.
When we were younger, we didn’t care, or even recognize obstacles…we just did.
And that’s what I encourage you to do…one. more. time.
We are here to help you get it done.
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! 🙂
