Calpine, conventional power plants

[PapaBear765]

I'm from Yuba City, CA, originally and there's a Calpine conventional power plant built there sometime in the 90s.  Being a nuke with 9 years experience (when I separate) can I expect to be able to walk right in to a good job there?  Is working there going to be like working at a nuke plant minus all of the political garbage that comes with operating a nuclear plant (less stress, less training, less pay)?

Some of their job positions have some pretty cheesy descriptions that are right up the alley of any navy nuke:

• Must be able to work rotating shifts to support plant operations as assigned.

• Perform operational rounds and checks on all equipment in support of plant operations. Perform chemical analysis of all water systems.

• Maintain shift operating logs and records.

• Record critical readings from pressure gauges, temperature indicators, meters, and other instruments.

• Perform routine calibrations and maintenance on all water plant instruments. Perform mechanical and electrical maintenance tasks, inspections and trouble shooting as assigned.

...etc.

[HydroDave63]

In addition to job descriptions and position descriptions, another good thing to research is the financial health of the prospective employer. Calpine has great locations in California, but they are slowwwwwwwly emerging from bankruptcy, and that affects everything from fuel purchases and raising new operating capital.

Bottom line...if they are your only offer when you are at EAOS, it would be good experience on Siemens 501 GTs for your resume, and the people I have met at Calpine facilities are professional and generally content. No guarantees that the financial markets won't mess up an otherwise great job...

[Already Gone]

It is, as I always say, relative.
What you think is a good job might not exist anywhere.
Then again, you might love a job that many others are running from.

There are several things you ought to consider:
1. Is the job near something or someone that is important to me - or am I going to locate somewhere I may hate just for a job?
2. This is not a lifetime commitment.  Taking a job is not the same as enlisting.  You get to quit if you hate it or if you find one you like better.  (Doing this often is not recommended,)
3. Am I aiming too high or too low?  You're not going to be the Plant Manager on your first day, but you shouldn't expect to sweep floors either.  (Civilians hire OTHER people to do that.)
4. Most of all, is my quality of life going to be better or worse if I take this job?  If you are going to hate getting up every morning - because you hate your job, because you love your job more than anything else in your life, or because you feel nothing at all about your job, --- get a different job.  You are not what you do.  You are what you love.  Find a job that either excites you or at least finances whatever it is that does without making you miserable.

I have found that working in a conventional power plant is nothing at all like a nuke.  Both have their good and bad sides, but the non-nukes are a lot less stressful in my opinion.

[PapaBear765]

I have found that working in a conventional power plant is nothing at all like a nuke.  Both have their good and bad sides, but the non-nukes are a lot less stressful in my opinion.

That last part is what I'm asking about.  Thanks for all of the other input, but I'm after some insight as to if my suspicion that going conventional will have a lot of advantages along the lines of less stress.  And I mention Calpine because they have a plant in the same county that I grew up in and that's where I want to live post-navy.

[Loffy Muffin]

As an engineer, Fossil plants have offered many more thousands for me to work there.  Go figure.  supply and demand I guess.

Usually, a fossil plant has much less people working there, much less security, and pays (for me) much more.  this means you don't have to park 5 miles away from the the plant and walk through tight security.  In a fossil plant I've seen the control room operators play cards, read books, read newspapers, have the radio going...and this is just what I see on day shift.  They get paid OT at X1.5.  I would say the fossils operators make 90-120K with OT(25-35/hr base).  Same with maintenance.  Does that sound very stressful to you?  Plants will vary depending on the PM, though.

Gas Turbine plants take very few operators/staff to run them compared to a coal plant.  and Coal plants are much less then Nukes.  But, some sites will have multiple GT on them requiring more people.

But they (any plant) don't have openings all the time where you just walk in and start the next day.  Openings come up and you will have to locate to where the jobs are located.  They might have an opening at this Yuba  City place, but I wouldn't bank on it.  That would not be typical ( I don't know if that job description you listed is for YC).  You most likely will have to work somewhere else and wait for an opening at YC.

be flexable.  Look for the best experience.  don't assume nuke pays the most.  You can assume nuke will be the most stressful.