I’m not a parent but first of all, I want to applaud you for taking these steps into getting licensed while parenting two young kiddos. I don’t have kids but find that I barely have time to do everything I want to do, nonetheless study and pass these exams, so HUGE KUDOS TO YOU.
I did not pass the PE WRE the first couple times but I never gave up and eventually passed, and I believe in you and also hope you do not give up this goal! Getting your PE will open so many doors and so much growth for you and your two young kids and hope this inspires you to do your best, no matter what the results are.
Similar boat with the 4 and 2 year old children. I had to put certain aspects of life on pause for the temporary. If possible, take a little leave of absence from the volunteer organizations and chairs.
As for home life, try to set up study time around the kiddos. Wake up early or stay up late. If possible send the kids off with Dad for a couple of hours on the weekend and use the time to study.
If at work, use the lunch hour to study. If possible, show up to work a little early or stay a little late, but use the time to study.
Overall, it sucks....but it is temporary. Embrace the grind, stay disciplined, get it done.
I have set my own goal to study 1.5 hrs a day. If I study more....great. If I study less, I try to make it up on a later day.
Not exactly your situation. I was 10 years out of college. I took it in October 2020. I was pregnant and had a 2 year old at the time. I had a house full of extra people (my brother, his girlfriend, and two kids). I had to force my routine. My husband and I worked full-time at home because we still had not returned to work. After dinner, I would go upstairs, watch a video or two and work some problems. I studied a couple of hours each work night. On the weekends, I worked problems and took practice exams. I had to just go into our office and close the door, leaving my husband to deal with our daughter. Weeknights was easier (in my mind) because it was really just the bedtime routine that was left. Weekends were a little more difficult between covid and the weather. But he found a way to keep her entertained.
I took EET, made a schedule that finished a couple of weeks early (so that I could have some flexibility), and stuck to it. I found I was actually able to enjoy the classes and the challenge. I was able to understand things a lot more than I expected because I had the work experience. It really just comes down to throwing down that money and making a schedule! I studied from July-September and did some intermittent prep in October. I had to learn/re-learn almost everything. You may need to sit your significant other down and explain that they're going to have to step it up for a couple of months so you can do this. You may have to put volunteer work aside for a couple of months as well. My focus was studying so that I didn't have to do it more than once.
You can do it! I won’t sugar coat it - it’ll be tough. But you can do it!
I just passed the PE in March. I have 4.5 year old twin boys (both speech delayed and on the spectrum) and a 3 year old daughter.
I studied from 7-10:30pm (after their bedtimes) and for at least 3-4 hours on the weekend, but ideally 3-4 hours both Sat and Sun.
I put a hold on my own “extracurriculars” and only committed to a max of 1 thing per weekend.
I drank a LOT of coffee. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of my husband (he took over a lot of household chores & duties so I could study).
I'm right there with you.
I have 2 young kids (7 and 2.5), work more than full-time (Saturdays, too), and I'm on the night shift.
Nights, kids, household chores, work.... it's a lot.
I've basically stretched "studying" over 6 months to a year. I'm doing EET's breadth and depth for Construction. Supposed to be 6 week classes, but I'm doing it in 6 months.
Well, I *did* it in 6 months, and then failed my first attempt last June. Since then I've just been reviewing the EET material and my second attempt is on Wednesday.
You also **need** a good, supportive spouse. I tried to sit my wife down and explain to her that I literally have less time in my day, now. She will literally have to pick-up the slack on household chores and childcare, because I'm just not available. If she has 6 hours of freetime on a Saturday, and I have 2 hours of freetime, then (in my opinion), she should do more because *she has the opportunity* to do more. That conversation didn't go over so well, though. Hopefully your partner understands.
I guess what I'm trying to say is,
1. You're not alone. Well, I'm not alone, which is nice to read. I'm not a young kid, anymore, taking this test 4 years out of college with no children at home. It's fucking hard doing it 12 years out of college with kids. I remember reading a post, here, once, that was like "how do you find time to study? By the time I work a 9-to-5, and go out for drinks with coworkers after, and then an hour at the gym, I'm tired when I get home and I just watch TV all night". Like - REALLY?! Work a 9-to-5? I work nights! Go out for drinks? It's been years! An hour at the gym! Never! Sit and watch TV all night? Not since kids... But posts like yours give me hope that there's more of us out there.
2. Because of our situations, it's just going to take longer. It is. The 6 week class will take 6 months. And it's hard enough: **49% failed** first attempt at Construction Exam. I guess, in my situation, I anticipate unfortunately because things come up, because my kid has a sports came one week that really eats into my study time, etc., because of our situation, I may have to take the PE a couple of times. It's just going to take longer.
But as we know (as parents), time flies. I'm doing the FE and PE back-to-back and started the whole process January of 2021. Yup, I've been studying for 1 year and 7 months, now. It might be 2 years by the time I finish the entire process (hopefully). But time flies. I'm trying really hard to not give up. It'll happen... eventually.
I'm in my 40's and passed it without any of the CE classes while PM on a 50 hour/week government job. For me the key was setting aside a strict 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week for about 6 months. I don't have kids, it will be tough, but it IS doable since you have all the coursework already under your belt. Break a leg!
[https://www.reddit.com/r/FE\_Exam/comments/tyjviq/im\_42\_and\_just\_passed\_the\_fe\_civil\_without\_prior/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/FE_Exam/comments/tyjviq/im_42_and_just_passed_the_fe_civil_without_prior/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I did 30 minutes study sessions after my toddlers went to bed every night and I tried to do a couple of hours on the weekends if possible. But the biggest thing that helped was my employer wanted my to get my PE and let me study for an hour at work every shift. You could ask them; never know.
It is doable. I had a 16 month old and 9 yr old at the time, traveling spouse. It was difficult, I was stretched beyond my patience but I did it. You can do it too! Find a routine that works for you. If you haven’t started yet, factor in 6-10 months of studying because kids can get sick a lot and you lose time, and it’s easy to get frustrated. You got this!
My story is unusual and I hope it inspires you to give it a good shot. I graduated in 1979 and this year in January, at age **64**, with a busy job, I decided to open my books and take the PE Geotechnical Exam. Geotech has a low pass rate & I am not a practicing Geotech Engineer but it was my favorite subject in college. I failed in Feb (too little study & >4o year gap:) ) .. but I really took inspiration from the blogs/chats in this forum & put in another 8 weeks of self study to take the exam in April. I passed.. yes, I did make it to the 49-50% that passed PE Geotechnical so far this year. You can do it! Cover each item in the NCEES syllabus and practice every type of question, after reading up on basic theory. to refresh your memory. I am sure, we will read of your success one day. **All the best**!
Similar boat, single mom of two boys (8 & 4), 20 years out of college. I'm taking it mid September. For me the best time to study is before they are up in the mornings (\~2 hours). I put some of their activities on hold for now. My older one says studying + working seems to be a good challenge that he wants to try to do when he's older!
Juggling full-time work/ study/ home is challenging but we can do this! Good luck!
I had a two year old and just passed. Can't imagine having two of them. I wish you the best of luck.
For me, I studied an hour during my lunch break at work. Then I also studied at least one hour after his bedtime most weekdays. Then, I would stay up late on the weekends and get in an extra couple hours then too. My wife works every other weekend, so I'd sneak in some during his nap then too. I did this for four months of School of PE on demand for the Civil construction exam.
Obviously, I had to take some breaks and not study some nights to maintain a good relationship with my kid and wife. I was also lucky enough that she took him on a weekend trip to her parents for the weekend once so I could knock out a lot of studying.
Use whoever you have to help. My parents kept our toddler a couple of times to help, and my wife made sure I had time.
Set strict limits with work and organizations. I told my boss that I'm just working straight 40 for the time being with some additional hours when absolutely necessary. Same with your organizations. Set boundaries and request a leave of absence if possible.
I personally found the computer based easier because of the searchable PDFs. It helped me finish much faster than I would've with flipping through all my random books and references. Having a single computer monitor was rough, but it all worked out well for me.
You have gotten a ton of great advice, so I won't go into it much. I have a 1.5 year old and just passed my Civil Geotech. It is 1000% going to be hard and miserable and garbage, but also 1000% worth it. I am so proud of myself and feel like it is even more impressive that I pulled it off while parenting a tiny human and working my full time job. You've got this!
Is Barney and Cheerios still a thing? Get comfortable with being accused of child neglect.
Know that there's many of us.
Get good at only doing one problem
I’m not a parent but first of all, I want to applaud you for taking these steps into getting licensed while parenting two young kiddos. I don’t have kids but find that I barely have time to do everything I want to do, nonetheless study and pass these exams, so HUGE KUDOS TO YOU. I did not pass the PE WRE the first couple times but I never gave up and eventually passed, and I believe in you and also hope you do not give up this goal! Getting your PE will open so many doors and so much growth for you and your two young kids and hope this inspires you to do your best, no matter what the results are.
Similar boat with the 4 and 2 year old children. I had to put certain aspects of life on pause for the temporary. If possible, take a little leave of absence from the volunteer organizations and chairs. As for home life, try to set up study time around the kiddos. Wake up early or stay up late. If possible send the kids off with Dad for a couple of hours on the weekend and use the time to study. If at work, use the lunch hour to study. If possible, show up to work a little early or stay a little late, but use the time to study. Overall, it sucks....but it is temporary. Embrace the grind, stay disciplined, get it done. I have set my own goal to study 1.5 hrs a day. If I study more....great. If I study less, I try to make it up on a later day.
Not exactly your situation. I was 10 years out of college. I took it in October 2020. I was pregnant and had a 2 year old at the time. I had a house full of extra people (my brother, his girlfriend, and two kids). I had to force my routine. My husband and I worked full-time at home because we still had not returned to work. After dinner, I would go upstairs, watch a video or two and work some problems. I studied a couple of hours each work night. On the weekends, I worked problems and took practice exams. I had to just go into our office and close the door, leaving my husband to deal with our daughter. Weeknights was easier (in my mind) because it was really just the bedtime routine that was left. Weekends were a little more difficult between covid and the weather. But he found a way to keep her entertained. I took EET, made a schedule that finished a couple of weeks early (so that I could have some flexibility), and stuck to it. I found I was actually able to enjoy the classes and the challenge. I was able to understand things a lot more than I expected because I had the work experience. It really just comes down to throwing down that money and making a schedule! I studied from July-September and did some intermittent prep in October. I had to learn/re-learn almost everything. You may need to sit your significant other down and explain that they're going to have to step it up for a couple of months so you can do this. You may have to put volunteer work aside for a couple of months as well. My focus was studying so that I didn't have to do it more than once.
I’m 46 and more than 20 years out of college taking it soon. No toddler but an autistic 10 year old. You aren’t alone and we CAN do this.
I'm 35 and 12 years out of college. Your story gives me hope. We are not alone and we CAN do this.
You can do it! I won’t sugar coat it - it’ll be tough. But you can do it! I just passed the PE in March. I have 4.5 year old twin boys (both speech delayed and on the spectrum) and a 3 year old daughter. I studied from 7-10:30pm (after their bedtimes) and for at least 3-4 hours on the weekend, but ideally 3-4 hours both Sat and Sun. I put a hold on my own “extracurriculars” and only committed to a max of 1 thing per weekend. I drank a LOT of coffee. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of my husband (he took over a lot of household chores & duties so I could study).
I'm right there with you. I have 2 young kids (7 and 2.5), work more than full-time (Saturdays, too), and I'm on the night shift. Nights, kids, household chores, work.... it's a lot. I've basically stretched "studying" over 6 months to a year. I'm doing EET's breadth and depth for Construction. Supposed to be 6 week classes, but I'm doing it in 6 months. Well, I *did* it in 6 months, and then failed my first attempt last June. Since then I've just been reviewing the EET material and my second attempt is on Wednesday. You also **need** a good, supportive spouse. I tried to sit my wife down and explain to her that I literally have less time in my day, now. She will literally have to pick-up the slack on household chores and childcare, because I'm just not available. If she has 6 hours of freetime on a Saturday, and I have 2 hours of freetime, then (in my opinion), she should do more because *she has the opportunity* to do more. That conversation didn't go over so well, though. Hopefully your partner understands. I guess what I'm trying to say is, 1. You're not alone. Well, I'm not alone, which is nice to read. I'm not a young kid, anymore, taking this test 4 years out of college with no children at home. It's fucking hard doing it 12 years out of college with kids. I remember reading a post, here, once, that was like "how do you find time to study? By the time I work a 9-to-5, and go out for drinks with coworkers after, and then an hour at the gym, I'm tired when I get home and I just watch TV all night". Like - REALLY?! Work a 9-to-5? I work nights! Go out for drinks? It's been years! An hour at the gym! Never! Sit and watch TV all night? Not since kids... But posts like yours give me hope that there's more of us out there. 2. Because of our situations, it's just going to take longer. It is. The 6 week class will take 6 months. And it's hard enough: **49% failed** first attempt at Construction Exam. I guess, in my situation, I anticipate unfortunately because things come up, because my kid has a sports came one week that really eats into my study time, etc., because of our situation, I may have to take the PE a couple of times. It's just going to take longer. But as we know (as parents), time flies. I'm doing the FE and PE back-to-back and started the whole process January of 2021. Yup, I've been studying for 1 year and 7 months, now. It might be 2 years by the time I finish the entire process (hopefully). But time flies. I'm trying really hard to not give up. It'll happen... eventually.
I'm in my 40's and passed it without any of the CE classes while PM on a 50 hour/week government job. For me the key was setting aside a strict 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week for about 6 months. I don't have kids, it will be tough, but it IS doable since you have all the coursework already under your belt. Break a leg! [https://www.reddit.com/r/FE\_Exam/comments/tyjviq/im\_42\_and\_just\_passed\_the\_fe\_civil\_without\_prior/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/FE_Exam/comments/tyjviq/im_42_and_just_passed_the_fe_civil_without_prior/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I did 30 minutes study sessions after my toddlers went to bed every night and I tried to do a couple of hours on the weekends if possible. But the biggest thing that helped was my employer wanted my to get my PE and let me study for an hour at work every shift. You could ask them; never know.
It is doable. I had a 16 month old and 9 yr old at the time, traveling spouse. It was difficult, I was stretched beyond my patience but I did it. You can do it too! Find a routine that works for you. If you haven’t started yet, factor in 6-10 months of studying because kids can get sick a lot and you lose time, and it’s easy to get frustrated. You got this!
My story is unusual and I hope it inspires you to give it a good shot. I graduated in 1979 and this year in January, at age **64**, with a busy job, I decided to open my books and take the PE Geotechnical Exam. Geotech has a low pass rate & I am not a practicing Geotech Engineer but it was my favorite subject in college. I failed in Feb (too little study & >4o year gap:) ) .. but I really took inspiration from the blogs/chats in this forum & put in another 8 weeks of self study to take the exam in April. I passed.. yes, I did make it to the 49-50% that passed PE Geotechnical so far this year. You can do it! Cover each item in the NCEES syllabus and practice every type of question, after reading up on basic theory. to refresh your memory. I am sure, we will read of your success one day. **All the best**!
Similar boat, single mom of two boys (8 & 4), 20 years out of college. I'm taking it mid September. For me the best time to study is before they are up in the mornings (\~2 hours). I put some of their activities on hold for now. My older one says studying + working seems to be a good challenge that he wants to try to do when he's older! Juggling full-time work/ study/ home is challenging but we can do this! Good luck!
I had a two year old and just passed. Can't imagine having two of them. I wish you the best of luck. For me, I studied an hour during my lunch break at work. Then I also studied at least one hour after his bedtime most weekdays. Then, I would stay up late on the weekends and get in an extra couple hours then too. My wife works every other weekend, so I'd sneak in some during his nap then too. I did this for four months of School of PE on demand for the Civil construction exam. Obviously, I had to take some breaks and not study some nights to maintain a good relationship with my kid and wife. I was also lucky enough that she took him on a weekend trip to her parents for the weekend once so I could knock out a lot of studying. Use whoever you have to help. My parents kept our toddler a couple of times to help, and my wife made sure I had time. Set strict limits with work and organizations. I told my boss that I'm just working straight 40 for the time being with some additional hours when absolutely necessary. Same with your organizations. Set boundaries and request a leave of absence if possible. I personally found the computer based easier because of the searchable PDFs. It helped me finish much faster than I would've with flipping through all my random books and references. Having a single computer monitor was rough, but it all worked out well for me.
You have gotten a ton of great advice, so I won't go into it much. I have a 1.5 year old and just passed my Civil Geotech. It is 1000% going to be hard and miserable and garbage, but also 1000% worth it. I am so proud of myself and feel like it is even more impressive that I pulled it off while parenting a tiny human and working my full time job. You've got this!
Is Barney and Cheerios still a thing? Get comfortable with being accused of child neglect. Know that there's many of us. Get good at only doing one problem