New to FE Civil, not sure to take it or not, need advice!

Hello guys,

First off i have many questions i need answers for. I'm a civil engineer graduated in 2014.

I have more than 4 years of experience as a construction engineer. I'm moving legally to the US very soon.

Many Engineers and managers in the US i been communicating with through linkedin said that working as an engineer in the US doesn't always require FE or PE especially in the construction field. 

Is this true? do all US companies always require FE for further consideration to be hired ?

so i'm still not feeling relief about their answers, so i decided to take the FE exam and purchased the book from amazon ( FE CIVIL REVIEW )

Is this book enough to cover most of the questions in the exam ?

any more advise or hints you guys would like to add i"d be very appreciated.  

Ahmad91 said:

Hello guys,

First off i have many questions i need answers for. I'm a civil engineer graduated in 2014.

I have more than 4 years of experience as a construction engineer. I'm moving legally to the US very soon.

Many Engineers and managers in the US i been communicating with through linkedin said that working as an engineer in the US doesn't always require FE or PE especially in the construction field. 

Is this true? do all US companies always require FE for further consideration to be hired ?

so i'm still not feeling relief about their answers, so i decided to take the FE exam and purchased the book from amazon ( FE CIVIL REVIEW )

Is this book enough to cover most of the questions in the exam ?

any more advise or hints you guys would like to add i"d be very appreciated.  

Click to expand...

Getting your PE working in the Construction Industry as a Construction engineer cant' hurt but can help. Where I found it could be useful is in the following:

1.  Excavation and Trench Box certifications

2.  Formwork Certifications

3.  Crane placements

4.  Certify Improvements are constructed as designed

It may not be required initially, but it will help later on in your career.  It also looks good on a resume of project personnel when proposing on a project.

I can't speak on FE preparation as it has been a long time since I took the exam, but others here can help.

I would agree that the FE/PE are not requirements to work as an engineer in the construction industry.  Typically if a company requires the FE/PE for a certain position they will say so on the job announcement or give you a timeline in which they expect you to obtain them.  Not having them could limit your future opportunities though.  The construction industry has very broad opportunities for civil graduates to gain experience without being licensed, it also is a field of engineering that requires a lot of PE seals and stamps on plan sets.  In my opinion it would be in your best interest to pass both the FE and PE; don't limit yourself. 

Also, it sounds like your experience over the last 4 years may have been outside of the US so I'd double check the experience requirement for the PE once you pass the FE.  You may find yourself needing to work another 4 years under a licensed PE before you can apply.  

Regarding the FE Exam, I'd buy the FE practice exam provided by NCEES and download a PDF version of the review manual to study with.  Books like the one you purchased from amazon are good too.  In my opinion, he more practice problems you do the better you will understand the concepts, the more likely you are to pass.