Derek Pham, PE, SE, Author at The Structural Guy

5 Important Tasks To Do Right After You Pass the PE or SE Exam

The process of taking the PE or SE Exam can be quite stressful, but the moment of triumph after passing is undeniably exhilarating. The euphoria of knowing you won’t have to endure another round of exams or relentless studying is truly magical. However, putting emotions aside, it’s crucial for you to complete five essential tasks right after passing the exam to successfully conclude your licensing journey.

Structural Issues for My ADU and How I Solved Them (Part 3)

In Part 1 of this series about the conversion of my detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), I discussed the structural issues relating to the roof of the garage. In Part 2, I discussed the structural issues relating to the walls of the garage and how I dealt with them. In this Part 3, I will discuss structural issues I had with the foundation of the structure and how I fixed them.

My Experience Installing and Operating Tesla Solar and Powerwall System

Getting a solar system installed and operated at your house can be a very intimidating experience. I remember when I first did my research for the project, I was totally overwhelmed with all the information out there. What would have really helped me in my research was a summary of what to expect for solar experience from signing up to operating the system so I will try to do just that here with this post. Everyone’s experience will be different, but hopefully you can learn from my experience to avoid some pitfalls, speed up the process, and even save some money!

7 Easy Steps to Crushing the FE Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, also known as Engineer-In-Training (EIT) exam, is the first step in the journey to obtain your Professional Engineering (PE) license. Click here if you want to learn more about it, but if you know about the exam and are thinking about taking it, follow these 7 easy steps for your best chance of passing it!

Structural Issues for my ADU and How I Solved Them (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series about the conversion of my detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), I discussed the structural issues related to the roof of the garage. In this Part 2, I will discuss structural issues relating to the walls of the garage and how I dealt with them.

The PE Civil Exam is Moving To Computer-Based Testing (CBT): What You Need to Know

Have you heard about the big change happening to the PE Civil exam? The big news is that the year 2021 will be the last year that the PE Civil exam will be open book and paper-based. Since this is a huge change, I have compiled a summary for the important points you need to know about this transition.

4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Taking a Review Course for the PE or SE Exam

If your objective is to pass the PE or SE exam with the optimal amount of studying but without unnecessary stress, then you really need to consider taking a review course. In this post, I will provide you four reasons why you should take a review course from the unique perspective of someone who has taken review courses and also as an instructor that had taught both the PE and SE exam review courses.

NOT a Structural Engineer? 2 DOs and 2 DON’Ts When Studying for the Structural Part of PE Civil Exam

Now that you are no longer in school, studying anything outside of your field of expertise is probably a chore. If you are not a structural engineer or have no desire of becoming a structural engineer, studying structural engineering for the PE exam is probably as pleasant as going to the dentist! In this post, I will provide you with 2 DOs and 2 DON’Ts when studying for the structural part of the breadth portion of the PE Civil exam for a nonstructural engineer. Hopefully this post will save you time and grief!

Structural Issues for My ADU and How I Solved Them (Part 1)

The existing detached garage that I used to build my accessory dwelling unit (ADU, or commonly known as in-laws unit) was constructed in the 1940s. Since the garage is advanced in its age, it has its share of structural issues that need to be resolved in order to turn it into a code complying livable space. In this post and future posts, I will break down some of the structural issues I encountered in this ADU project and how I fixed them. This post (Part 1) will focus on the roof of the structure. Future posts will focus on other structural elements such as the walls and foundation of the ADU.

7 Must-Have Study Materials for the SE Lateral Exam

In theory, it should be simple to study for the SE Lateral exam because the subject matter is limited to just wind and seismic. However, what I found when studying for the SE Lateral exam was that there was no single unified study material similar to the SE Vertical exam that I could have used. Luckily, I was able to find some excellent in-depth lateral design study materials that helped me tremendously in my study. In this post I will share with you these 7 study materials so you can use them to self-study or refresh your knowledge of wind and seismic design.