Nuke ET getting out, Getting degree v.s. Going strait in workforce ??

[Hollywood]

I am sure similar post have been made, but I am 1 year left, will finish the full 6 in on a fast attack, Fully qualified, EWS/EDPO with all the QA quals, ETMS, 1st class and so on.

I want to use the GI bill and get a degree BS in Nuclear engineering, or if not like BS EE or something, but do it in about less than 3 years or so. If I dont do the Degree thing now, I dont think I will ever do it, plus I want to experince some of college while I am still somewhat young(25 getting out).

So my real question is, does a degree really help with making more money in the nuclear field, not necessarily towards RO's, but in general?
Also for any ex-navy RO's, Is there any benefit going from navy RO/SRO to Civilian RO/SRO, i.e.: Roll right into an RO/SRO job without long qual train?
For those who have done the Degree thing, not Thomas Edison, but went back to school full time for Nuc, EE or ME, have any suggestion on schools? I am really interested in University of Tennessee, which has a good Nuc program, and rolls you right into the Nuc power in Oak ridge.

Any info on any of this shit or in getting out navy stuff, please hit me up, I am just trying to plant stuff out, and the navy isnt helping me at all, they just keep trying to get me to re-enlist. 

-Jeff

[Gamecock]

I highly recommend the University of South Carolina, but I might be just a bit biased.

[JustinHEMI05]

gamecock, I am a tad disappointed. 

To answer some of your questions... Navy RO/SRO has nothing to do with civilian RO/SRO. SRO doesn't even stand for the same thing. They aren't even on the same plane of existence. You will have to go through the same long, arduous training as every other Navy nuke or non-Navy nuke, for that matter. In general, your degree won't help you get any more money since a degree isn't required to get into ops.

That said, if you really want to go to school and enjoy the college life, then do it. Jobs will be there when you get out and 3 years from now. Sounds like you have your mind made up so go for it and have fun.

Justin

[Nuclear Renaissance]

Someday you will tire of shift work and OT. Someday you may even tire of working at a commercial generating station and the BS it can involve.

When that time comes, companies like AREVA, GE, and Westinghouse have very high paying jobs in very cushy corporate buildings with very normal working schedules. Coupling an accredited degree with licensed commerical Ops experience will put you at the front of the line for those positions.

[Hollywood]

Thanks for the info,
I think I still will go and do the degree thing for now, and if all fails, I can just go into the workforce.

[Smooth Operator]

Not the right attitude,

No  hiring manager wants academic waste. If you couldn't cut it in college, what makes you think you can cut it academically in commercial operations training? Yes you have the 6 years of Navy time, but I think your most recent academic failure would be hard to justify, if you were trying to get a job because you failed out of college.

[Khak-Hater]

In answer to your original question, YES, a degree in NE is extremely useful in this field (i.e., it opens hundreds of very nice doors other than power plant operator), and, YES, UT in Knoxville is an excellent way to go.  I did my M.S. in NE at UT when I got out, while working in Oak Ridge full time.  Several of the guys that worked for me on the "E" have also gotten out and gotten their B.S. and/or M.S. in NE or Ch.E from UT while working part or full time in Oak Ridge. 

Thanks to the multitude of DOE and commercial sites and contractors in this area, the pay here is as high or higher than anywhere in the country and the cost of living [and school] is as low as you'll find.  It might be handy to move here and get a job [any job] a month or two before the semester starts to establish residency so that you can get in-state tuition.

You may find offers that seem better in the short run (e.g., an instant SRO offer to go to a plant), but I don't know anyone who's taken this route and isn't satisfied with the outcome.  Incidently, I also don't know anyone who's failed at school after getting out of the nuke power program.  After all those hours of standing watch, taking classes is a piece of cake.

Good Luck,

MGM

[PapaBear765]

So, sometimes I read that an NE degree is less useful than a nuke technology degree, like the one from Thomas Edison.  Is this only true if you're trying to get into Operations?  Does an ex-navy nuke with under 10 years who has a NE/ME/EE degree have those "nice doors" open to him, or does he still have to work his way up as without that degree?

[Preciousblue1965]

I can tell you first hand that if you are working on a BS in ME or NE that there are NO evening classes to take at the University of TN.  I have even contacted the head of the NE department and he said that there are no BS classes associated with NE at night.  They do have Masters Degree classes at night for both fields though. 

So if you plan on getting a job right away, I would strongly consider finding a job close to a major university that offers advanced(engineering) classes at night.  Then again if UT doesn't, can't think of many that would.

On the other hand, it would be probably easier for you to just go back to school full time and work in the evenings.  That is of course that you can afford to. 

[S3GLMS]

The current, best program in the country to take a full ABET accredited Bachelors degree in EE, ME, Chem ENG or Civile ENG is the Univ. of North Dakota in Grand Forks.  You can take almost every one of you classes over the internet.  You will have to perform labs on the campus once each year in a week of time compressed training.  This is the only university in the country doing the entire true ABET program online.  Now, they will not transfer military credit, such as Nuke School or A school or any other navy training it just does not meet the ABET requirements and it is not calculus based.  You should try to complete the basic couses through other cheaper online sources.  And I am referring to Social, Humanities and English electives.  The price of the program is expensive, no real bargain but you will have the true ABET Engineering degree and you can do it on line.  A word of warning, it is tough , even with a Nuke background.  These are real full scale college level engineering courses and you will compete with the in class students for grades. 

I had the Excelsior degree when I left the navy (old Regents College unaccredited) and have attaended the Univ of North Dakota program to get the Fully Accreduted ABET degree as a Mechanical Engineer.  ( I also had all of my liberal education courses done prior to joining the Navy so it took me two years).  I am now a licensed Professional Engineer and I work in Industrial design as a consulting Engineer.

This is the only Bachelors program currently like this in the country and you should at least check it out to see what makes sense for you.

[Hollywood]

Thanks again for the replies, but now have an add question about nuclear related work while being a full time student. As like anything else rumors always fly around the boat and its hard to weed out the BS from the truth, but some of the guys were talking about being "Rad Sponges" and working 2 months out of the year and getting there max exposure rate for the Quarter(3rem or something). Not really what I would want to do, but to make ends meet and pay off a house, it doesnt sound like a bad idea to do that during the summer to pull you through the year...
I dont know if you can just roll into something like that getting out of the navy, or if there is more training involved with that, and what the work would involve.
Basically just trying to get an idea on any Nuclear job that I could do while being a full time student, vice like waiting tables or something.

-Jeff

[Fermi2]

You won't get any job that will let you be a full time student.
So far as I know no one will let you get 3 REM in a quarter.
IIRC the legal limit for an entire year is 5Rem.

[RDTroja]

...some of the guys were talking about being "Rad Sponges" and working 2 months out of the year and getting there max exposure rate for the Quarter(3rem or something)...

You have been talking to some people that have not been in this business for a long time. Those days are over. There are no more quarterly doses and 5R/year is the limit but no utility is going to let anyone get anywhere near that. 'Back in the day,' yes. It was not too unusual to give a steam generator jumper 2750 in a quarter and in a few rare cases when the timing was right it could be 5500 in two days (assuming one day in one quarter and one in the next e.g. 9/30 - 10/1.) But, alas (not really) those days are long gone. Not only that, but short term work is very rare in the summer months, anyway since shutdowns occur mostly in the spring and fall.

As for full-time student while working, not bloody likely. Either the work or the school (or both) will suffer badly... particularly in the beginning where you will probably be in training for extended periods of time. Imagine carrying TWO full loads in college and then when you can breathe again, rethink the idea.

[x633ro]

OK,
Been a lurker for a while. Here's the deal. Been with a utility in the SE (in house, non union and have a license). Probably the most lucrative place to be. Degree does not matter until you want to go past OPS manager. There is not a licensed operator that makes less than 125k/yr. Aside of special deals with Southern training, you will not finish a degree on shift. (aside of buy a degree programs) It is a good life and there are plenty of daily challenges. I have lots of acquaintances with degrees from major universities that are impressed with the 50 to 60 they make a year. The bottom line is that you pursue a degree to further your potential. With your background you can do that without one. Do I value education? ABSOLUTELY! Want to finish mine as well. Does it make a difference unless you aspire to be a VP? nope. Bring what you know and do well, do not be sold on the theory that without a degree, you will not attain your goals. (BTW Bill Gates never finished school either) (Again, I appreciate your desire and I just finished paying for my daughters first semester, but the difference at least in ops matters not)

[JustinHEMI05]

You have been talking to some people that have not been in this business for a long time. Those days are over. There are no more quarterly doses and 5R/year is the limit but no utility is going to let anyone get anywhere near that. 'Back in the day,' yes. It was not too unusual to give a steam generator jumper 2750 in a quarter and in a few rare cases when the timing was right it could be 5500 in two days (assuming one day in one quarter and one in the next e.g. 9/30 - 10/1.) But, alas (not really) those days are long gone. Not only that, but short term work is very rare in the summer months, anyway since shutdowns occur mostly in the spring and fall.

As for full-time student while working, not bloody likely. Either the work or the school (or both) will suffer badly... particularly in the beginning where you will probably be in training for extended periods of time. Imagine carrying TWO full loads in college and then when you can breathe again, rethink the idea.

Funny you mention that, as I was just sitting in a safety meeting for the outage today when some "old timers" were telling stories of the rad sponge days, that are long long gone. Just some perspective to reinforce that, our outage is only allotted something like 120 person/rem to get everything done. The old timers were talking of days of burning through a dose like that in a matter of a couple of days. They suggested that when INPO made it a performance indicatior, everything changed to the way it is now.

Justin

[JustinHEMI05]

OK,
Been a lurker for a while. Here's the deal. Been with a utility in the SE (in house, non union and have a license). Probably the most lucrative place to be. Degree does not matter until you want to go past OPS manager. There is not a licensed operator that makes less than 125k/yr. Aside of special deals with Southern training, you will not finish a degree on shift. (aside of buy a degree programs) It is a good life and there are plenty of daily challenges. I have lots of acquaintances with degrees from major universities that are impressed with the 50 to 60 they make a year. The bottom line is that you pursue a degree to further your potential. With your background you can do that without one. Do I value education? ABSOLUTELY! Want to finish mine as well. Does it make a difference unless you aspire to be a VP? nope. Bring what you know and do well, do not be sold on the theory that without a degree, you will not attain your goals. (BTW Bill Gates never finished school either) (Again, I appreciate your desire and I just finished paying for my daughters first semester, but the difference at least in ops matters not)

Thanks for your input and excellent post. Like I keep telling friends that are getting out, we have guys with RPI nuke engineering degrees in NLO class here while my plant manager has no degree. My former VP had the Thomas Edison as well as my former shift manager. Insofar as ops in concerned, it doesn't matter.

Justin

[nadinno]

First off I would like to thank Khak-htr and S3 for their posts. As someone who just finished his math degree and is thinking about going back for engineering that helps. A LOT!

I got out of the Navy in 2004 and went straight into college.  I finished my BS in Math last May.  I have some fairly strong opinions about getting out and going to school.  I also made plenty of mistakes and would like to pass some of those on. 

My most important piece of advice is to figure out the finances and make sure you can support your self. The old GI bill was good but it didn't pay for everything.  The new GI bill (make sure you know the rules and regs backwords and forewards) is a lot better but still won't pay for everything.  At best you will have the E5 BAH which is only about $1000/month for living.  If you have savings or parents willing to help that is great cause $1000 a month is hard to live on after having a decent salary (getting roomates is an issue I will get into later).

The tough part with going to college is finding a decent paying job. The biggest mistake I made was choosing to go to a school in a town with a population of 125,000 and no real industry. With 25,000 students the job market for students was mostly made up of $8/hr jobs.  Not being proactive about looking for better jobs was another mistake I made. 

And this is where my advice comes in.  Find a school either in a large city or a place with a lot of industry (or a lab like khak-htr suggested).  One suggestion ( and I didn't find out about this till after I graduated) is to look for jobs with the campuses facilities management (most people think custodial jobs when they think of FacMan).  The reason being, most large campuses have central utility plants (more efficient than having separted heating and cooling facilities in each building).  What this means is boiler operating and maintenance positions. At the very least a college will have gas boilers and chillers.  Some larger institutions will have gas turbines (especially universities with a strong research component).

Its important to be proactive in job hunting.  Don't wait for them to post something on the internet. Go in (either set up an interview or walk in off the street and introduce yourself) and talk to someone in FacMan's who is a supervisor. Tell them who you are, your background, that you'll be going to school and are looking for a job while at school.  Start your job search before you get there. 

Other places to look for jobs like this include hospitals and large industrial complexes.  Most will have central utility plants. 
Hint:  look on usajobs.com for boiler operator/maintenance, plant operator, power plant operator

One other thing to look for is who the school caters too.  Some schools do a good job with older non traditional students.  Other schools cater strictly to kids coming straight out of high school.  You will generally have better luck with schools in larger cities. One exception to this is if you plan on going to grad school.  If this is the case focus on schools with strong research programs.  But don't expect to get paid much. 


I have to go for now but plan on posting again with more info later.

Best of luck, ND

[Fermi2]

My son is at Tennessee Tech. When I  told him 1000 a month simply for living isn't much he laughed his head off. He and ALL his friends live quite well for well under 600 month. I showed them your post and I got a ration of and THIS guy is supposed to be a responsible adult? They'd kill for your 1000 a month.

Mike

[nadinno]

My son is at Tennessee Tech. When I  told him 1000 a month simply for living isn't much he laughed his head off. He and ALL his friends live quite well for well under 600 month. I showed them your post and I got a ration of and THIS guy is supposed to be a responsible adult? They'd kill for your 1000 a month.

Mike

I definitly made more than one roommate jealous of the monthly check I was getting.  Had at least one person that hated me for it, said "Thats just not fair!"

[tr]

Two other options as far as making some money while in school:

1) Go to a school where there is a co-op program, where you alternate semesters of work experience (in your field) and school.  I actually made more money my last year as a co-op (2 quarters working in reactor engineering DC Cook) than I did my first year of full-time employment (which, granted, was only from July to December).

2)  Try to get a reactor operator job if the school has a reactor.

[Fermi2]

I definitly made more than one roommate jealous of the monthly check I was getting.  Had at least one person that hated me for it, said "Thats just not fair!"

You spent at least 6 years of your life serving your country. Of course you earned it and it's totally fair.

Mike

[AFT21]

The new GI bill (make sure you know the rules and regs backwords and forewards)

The VA doesn't even know the regs yet.  I was in TAP a few weeks ago and the VA guy said don't be suprised if August comes and goes and things aren't finalized.  BTW, as a veteran, you can go to a state school in CT for free and if you took the College fund when you came in, you'd be getting almost $1900/mo from the old GI Bill.

MM1/SS

[withroaj]

I heard recently during a CCC brief that a "rollover" from the old GI Bill to the new GI Bill will require at least 8 years of active service*.  If you paid in your 1200 bucks you will get the old GI Bill*.  If you separate between now and August when it takes effect you will get the old GI Bill*.

Then again if you don't mind being a Huskie (UCONN) or a Longhorn (UT) you can go to school for free anyway, just like AFT21 said.  It might not add up to the New GI Bill benefit, but it will end with a college degree.

*The above GI Bill info came from a shipboard CCC.  I took it at face value for being valid, but that's because I will have more than ten years active duty when I take my next look at civilian life.  If you're planning on doing six-and-out and are coming close to EAOS it might be time to look deeper.

[NukeNub]

You spent at least 6 years of your life serving your country. Of course you earned it and it's totally fair.

Mike

Absolutely, we get the same ribbing cause we are using our GI bill towards the apprentice training program, which equates on average to an extra 500/mo over 3 years.

I say, "Well, while you were drinking on Friday nights, I was cleaning a bilge."

[DDMurray]

TVA Joins Effort To Help Military Veterans Fill Region's Technical, Scientific Needs
TVA has signed on to an initiative begun by the Department of Energy to provide engineering employment and educational opportunities in Tennessee for America's military veterans.
TVA is among several of Tennessee's top technical, engineering and educational companies, institutions and organizations in the greater Oak Ridge-Knoxville area that have teamed together to create this unique consortium.
The new program, which focuses on the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, is called "America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers."
The program is designed to offer military veterans an opportunity to complete an engineering degree that will lead directly to full-time employment with one of the area's technical companies and institutions.
TVA is committed to filling a number of positions in its Fossil and Nuclear groups over the next several years under the auspices of this program.

I'll post more on this program after work today.

DM