(Part 2) Best products from r/civilengineering

Python is pretty powerful and has a shallow learning curve for being able to automate a lot of simple things and do some helpful data analysis and visualization. I recommend the book automate the boring stuff with python. Teaches you things like working with Excel, scraping data from different sources, working with regular expressions to pull data from text, etc.

I also feel like there is always demand for spreadsheet wizs. If you want to learn VBA in excel you can record macros while you manually work, view the code and learn from there.

I took it in October 2012 which was the first opportunity I could take it when I gained enough experience to qualify. But you're not alone though. I teach at a PE Exam Review class and I always have older folks in the class (40s and 50s+) and those who are still young and have been eligible to take the exam for several years who are just now getting ready to take the exam. Check out the NCEES Exam Specifications to see the types of topics you can expect to see on the exam and to help you figure out which one might be best for you. And if you want to get a jump start on studying for the October exam, pick up a copy of the CERM on Amazon and start spending some time with it to start brushing up on old topics. Review classes are good too and there are several out there.

I took the Structures focus for the PE exam, I can't recommend for you an exact prep schedule, but I can tell you mine.

I studied for a total of 500 hours at 40hrs/wk took approximately 3 months or so. 200 hrs of prep for the PE exam itself and 150 hrs each for the Survey and Seismic portions.

I prepared using the CERM, PPI Sample problems, NCEES Sample Exams, and the following:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1888577940/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591261007/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591263786/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Did I over do it? Without a doubt I over did it. But I can also say that I rolled up on the test, took a dump on its front lawn and lit it on fire. I also managed to finish so quickly that I took a bit of a nap during the NCEES exam. I was however working up to the last minute on the Survey and Seismic portions. Those sections weren't hard, you just need to manage your time well and you will be fine.

When you do walk into the exam, you will see people with half-pallet carts filled with reference materials. You will not need that many books, you only really need your CERM, applicable code manuals, as well as a rapid reference note binder that you compile yourself. I flew in to California to take it, and all my reference materials fit into a back pack and a carry on suitcase.

I also, took a review course offered at the local university, go to every class and never skip!

Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, best of luck!

I'm doing an internship myself and am more on the drainage/utilities side of things. But when it comes to structural, I've noticed no two projects are ever really the same. You can have a bridge thats barely longer in span then a culvert, another will be timber, another will carry a train, another will require different girder depths or perhaps be a rehab where the diaphragms are skewed, another will be super elevated with drastically different bearing elevations on the same pier, some will not require any scuppers, some will have scuppers at locations inconvenient enough to require design considerations, does the bridge need to be raised or lowered, etc.

There are a lot of variables and I'm sure someone more experienced then me at your office can go into more detail. What I mentioned above are just some and most projects will require different combinations of them.

If your interested, here is a link to a good book that was recommended to me. It does a pretty good job of introducing information in a way that isn't "overwhelming" for someone that isn't deeply involved or knowledgeable about bridges and structural design.

Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance of Modern Highway Bridges (4th Edition by Zhao and Tonias)

Fun fact: weathering steel doesn't do it's "weathering" thing particularly well in humid/water rich environments. The DOT my company works for is spending a lot of money zone painting (painting the areas around splices, bearings, and beam ends) weathering steel bridges.

IF you can find a section in the handbook that meets your span and LL+superimposed DL (usually the deck), then the prestressing strands will be included along with that. This is the book I'm talking about. Otherwise, you'll have to do the prestressing calculations by hand. But with concrete, you don't have to worry about the welds, local buckling, and lateral stiffeners.

What aspect of the tunnel are you going to be inspecting? I hope for your sake it's not tiles.

Someone else here suggested Carhartt and I agree. I have these gloves and hat:

Carhartt Men's Winter Dex Kevlar Reinforced Spandex Work Glove, Black, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005I3424Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Qp4EAbVYQXZ47

Carhartt Men's Fleece 2-In-1 Headwear,Charcoal Heather,One Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002B8Z5WC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Bq4EAbAWF50C7

I got the gloves on a lightning deal so depending on your budget you might want to go cheaper there.

I swear by the hat though. So warm around the ears and the face mask has saved me on so many bridge inspections. Sometimes I keep it under my chin and it keeps my neck nice and toasty

http://www.amazon.com/Structural-Engineering-Failures-lessons-design/dp/1453745777

I have this book its pretty cheaply made but the content and explanations are good to read. Very broad.

In addition I like Historical Building Construction to have a historical understanding of how we came to where we are now

Yeah, need some fun books rather than dry textbooks. J. E. Gordon's books [1] [2] are my favourite :)

Hey thanks for responding... yeah. My coworker just took the water and he said the exact same thing... a lot of chemistry/ pollution questions. Unfortunately my office only has the green book so I'm in quite the predicament.

Did you consider the transportation depth reference manual at all? It claims to have all the reference books in one, but it sounds to good to be true/ risky.

Transportation Depth Reference Manual

Thanks.

Water Resources Engineering - Larry W. Mays or Applied Hydrology - Te Chow for engineering hydrology. They are somewhat outdated in not including some new methods (like ML methods) but both solid for the fundamentals. There is also a PDF copy of the latter floating around if you do a google search.

Chow's Open-Channel Hydraulics book is also great (for channel and hydraulic structures design, non-pressurized), but mind numbing to go through. Also, Fluid Mechanics - Frank White for general fluid mechanics overview.

Finally, although I've not personally read/used it, HEC-22 is a design manual for urban drainage systems and Advanced Water Distribution Modeling and Management for modeling/design of water distribution systems.

The Mastering AutoCad Civil 3D books are pretty good, and come with a set of tutorial drawings:
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-AutoCAD-Civil-3D-2016/dp/1119059747

AutoCad and Civil 3D also come with built-in tutorials and tutorial drawings.

I recently got my hands on: http://www.amazon.com/Basics-Retaining-Wall-Design-10th/dp/0976836491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459165210&sr=8-1&keywords=the+basics+of+retaining+wall+design

I find it pretty useful.

This book saved my water engineering module at University. Hope this helps!

Hey, how did you end up liking the book? I'm thinking of getting it myself. Also did the book have practice problems, or did you find them elsewhere?

edit: What do you think of this book as well? It was suggested to me by a professor: http://www.amazon.com/Civil-Review-Manual-Michael-Lindeburg/dp/1591264391?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

>Metcalf and Eddy

This is also a good one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070418780/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4

The FE review manual (https://www.amazon.com/Civil-Review-Manual-Michael-Lindeburg/dp/1591264391/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483628512&sr=1-1&keywords=fe+civil+review+manual) has a decent basic review of RC design. Plus this is helpful if you plan on taking the FE at some point. I think reading through the RC sections will give you enough prep to better understand the more technical literature in the textbooks you have.

https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Geosynthetics-6th-Vol-1/dp/1462882889 is this the geosynthetics book you recommend?