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Have you ever wondered what a career in civil structural engineering looks like? What would you be doing? What exams would you need to take? How much work is involved? The pay?
These are the questions Mat Picardal was asking back in his college days, but couldn’t find the answers to. Today, after breaking into the industry himself and seeing things firsthand, he shares his experiences in the field on his YouTube channel.
By elaborating on his own experiences working in the structural engineering arena, Mat talks about his journey passing the monstrous SE exam and debunks the myth that all engineers do in their days is calculations.
After creating content about the profession and interviewing various successful engineers, he found out what really made them ”successful.” And guest what? It involves skills most engineers neglect.
Mat Picardal is a licensed civil and structural engineer in California and a Structural Project Manager at DCI Engineers. He received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, and his master’s degree in structural engineering from UC San Diego. His project portfolio includes the structural design of commercial, retail, hospitality, residential, religious, and higher education projects.
His structural engineering YouTube channel has over 70,000 subscribers and 3 million views, through which he helps students and young professionals learn about the skills required to break into the industry, design projects, and advance their careers. He is also the co-host for The Structural Engineering Channel Podcast, where he helps professionals stay up to date on the latest technical trends in the industry.
What you will learn:
- What Mat does on a daily basis as a licensed civil (PE) and structural engineer (SE)
- The real reason why he started his Youtube channel
- Three benefits of a side gig that can boost your career — as it did with Mat’s
- A time management technique he uses to balance work, Youtube, podcast, and life
- His content creation process and the (fun) challenges of running a YouTube channel
- The keys to being successful as an engineer — from interviews with successful experts
- Mat's experience taking and passing the SE exam
- How the SE differs from the PE exam — and it’s not only in the specs
- Test-taking strategies that will help you pass the SE exam
- One important skill most practicing engineers neglect, but shouldn’t
- Two tips to choose your engineering career if you’re still a student or young engineer
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