House tech vs. Road Tech

[Content1]

I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

[UncaBuffalo]

I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

NO! 






I am on my 5th house job & it is yet another round of routines & politics.  Give me the entertainment & feeling of accomplishment of completing an outage (and heading down the road).

[jjack50]

I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

When I came back in the business after a two year haiatus after two years back after a six year hiatus (!!?!!) I went to VY as a contractor. Through the smoke and haze of contract company planning and conniving I wound up with an early assignment for an outage. I had just come from a job where I was an independent worker and I brought that professionalism with me. As a contractor I was assigned lead for the turbine building on nights for replacement of the HP turbine  and four feed water heaters and a generator rewind(for those who don't know, VY is a boiler). I was given an assignment with authority and did make a difference. I was not treated as an "outsider".
I transitioned to house following the outage. I found the training reminded me of more of the kind of training we used to get in the industry even as contractors. Much more informative and technical than what we provide contractors now.
The work as a shift tech following the training does provide job statifaction if you make it.

[UncaBuffalo]

When I came back in the business after a two year haiatus after two years back after a six year hiatus (!!?!!) I went to VY as a contractor. Through the smoke and haze of contract company planning and conniving I wound up with an early assignment for an outage. I had just come from a job where I was an independent worker and I brought that professionalism with me. As a contractor I was assigned lead for the turbine building on nights for replacement of the HP turbine  and four feed water heaters and a generator rewind(for those who don't know, VY is a boiler). I was given an assignment with authority and did make a difference. I was not treated as an "outsider".
I transitioned to house following the outage. I found the training reminded me of more of the kind of training we used to get in the industry even as contractors. Much more informative and technical than what we provide contractors now. The work as a shift tech following the training does provide job statifaction if you make it.

I do have to agree that contractor training is really weak in recent years.

[Dave Warren]

With outages shrinking and downsizing being the norm, these utilities are producing the bare bones minimum amount of training.

A great system to look at (and I thought I would never say this) is the Exelon system. When you go to Braidwood, Lasalle or Dresden, you have a massive, 2-story building that houses nothing but inprocessing activity. You get there at 0 dark thirty on Monday, you get a folder with all your stuff and you venture on your way.

The PADS system has streamlined everything. Contractors used to bitch and whine about having to carry their records around, take the MMPI again, and so forth. Guess what? They listened and realized that all the contractors were sitting around getting paid for nothing. Some guy said if we keep their training standardized, we can save millions in down time.

They realized that resource sharing worked by bringing house techs from sister stations to fill slots because Company A couldn't staff them. When they saw that the outage was successful by using 8 less contract techs, they said if it worked once, By God, it will work again next outage. The more they learn each outage about dependency on the contract HP, the faster they will eliminate them.

When a superstar in sports has played for the same team for 10 years and then they get traded, out of the blue, what do they say? They say, "Hey, you know this is just business". Same stuff people. Same stuff.

[RDTroja]

As I review resumes of long in the tooth RP contractors, and if I believe those resumes, I don't need a strong contractor training program. The resumes tell me these guys walk on water, converse with animals, and have daily conversations with God himself about the craft of RP.

Creative Resume Writing 101. They actually walk through water (usually a spill) converse like animals and have days that start with "God, do I really have to get up and go to work today?" As far as being crafty RPs...  

Before anyone smites me, I spent a good deal of my career as an RP contractor (although I have not noticed my teeth getting any longer) and I remember fondly the days of the two week in-processing training sessions. Except, of course, for the 4 DAYS of reading procedures (often through closed eyelids.)

[Dustball]

As I review resumes of long in the tooth RP contractors, and if I believe those resumes, I don't need a strong contractor training program. The resumes tell me these guys walk on water, converse with animals, and have daily conversations with God himself about the craft of RP.

Beyond the mandated training and site specifics, why would these demigods of the RP craft need anything more? Why would I bore them to death and waste their time with capture gamma mechanics or air sample calculations, when they could be in the field keeping the world safe?

Nailed it! 

[Laundry Man]

Along the same lines;

I could never understand when Tech A would bitch about spending two weeks (sometimes more) in training, I was always like; "It's free money, how can this be bad?",....
[/quote]

After leaving CY in February 82, two weeks in-processing at Crystal River was a nice treat.
LM

[Content1]

I see more RP positions advertised this late in the summer.  Could it be that there are not as many tech available in the contractor pool then this same time last year?  Maybe many took long term jobs, or are they holding out for the $30+ hour jobs and bonus that occur when the utility starts to get desperate to fill the openings right before an outage?  I remember last spring as I honored my commitment to go to that insultingly short 2 week outage at Surry they were advertising on nukeworker outage positions with $3000 bonuses! 

Another pro for long term jobs.  FULL Medical from Day 1.  (Not this 9 month reduced benefit thing like with Bartlett/others, nor the $3.16 per hour beneits thing based on 40 hour weeks.

Another deep secret that is NOT advertised about house jobs.  Of the 52 weeks in a year, you get 3 weeks off paid vacation, 10 days sick time, 12 days paid holidays plus 10/40 week continued retraining throughout the year.  In actual work,   44.5 weeks per year, equivalent to getting nearly 2 months off paid as compared to Bartlet/Atlantic/others road employers who do not pay this.  To top it off with the 9.5% paid company retirement with instant vesting brings in another $11k into a retirement account.  Your will not see them advertise this, you find out after you are hired. 
Anybody have pros for the road life that counters this?

Another pro for the house tech position.  Since your pay is higher (usually around $35/hr) and your taxable income is higher (lenders often will not count per diem when qualifying for loans) it makes it easier to qualify for loans (car/house).  (Unemployent is also NOT considered by lenders when qualifying for loans).

[amn7382]

Everyone has their own opinion with going the house tech route or staying as a contractor HP. Personally I have been both and you can make a very nice living being a contractor with summers off and your thanksgiving through new years holiday season off while on unemployment, but you have to deal with the traveling. If you are not planning on having any kids and don't mind being away from your significant other than a contractor is the way to go.

As far as the house tech route is concerned, I know here at Exelon where I work at the top rate is about $40/hr and you do get 3 weeks vacation to start, 4 floating holidays they are called which are in essence vacation days, holidays off, and 5 sick days a year. The average RP tech who works 2 outages a year and moderate overtime throughout the year and by moderate i mean around the minimum, will make about $120,000 or more per year. With full benefits, 401k, and a cash balance pension plan, its a good deal. Now as a house tech once you are shift qualified you can work shift work all year round if you choose which every 5 weeks of the rotation you get 7 days off in a row, therefore you get 10weeks off a year built into your schedule.

If you are career minded and want to move up out of the technician ranks then a house tech is the way to go because once your in and show some ambition, your career stops when you stop.

All just my opinion and any posts concerning this topic are welcome

[MeterSwangin]

One west coast plant that just went to 4x10s has two crews of house etchs on a 3x12 schedule covering fri sat sun.  That is right...40 hrs pay for 36 hours of work, paid lunch, 4 days off a week.


Sweet.

[BStella]

I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

Wow Man!  They've got some pretty good koolaid where you're at.  I'm happy for ya.  Me, I guess I've grown a pretty big tolerance for the koolaid where I've been a house tech for  nearly 20 years...I'm just biding my time, and I'm outta here!  I'm thankful for my job every day...but I sure don't feel (about mine) like you feel about yours.

PEACE.

[Content1]

There are still RCT openings here, so, like at the end of the Disneyland ride, "Haunted Mansion," says, "We are looking for a few more volunteers."  So you can still join the fun and the Koolaid is free.

[doctormoo]

i was both house and a contractor for 25 yrs 18 at riverbend  loved every single minute. being on both sides of the fence
but unfortunately at 49 years old i had to stop  since then ive had 2 bouts with cancer life is to short
find what you like to do like a hobby and do it
i do it everyday now hang out with family

[Content1]

I spent too many years on caffine sodas and fast food, that my age and health started to suffer.   Sad part I was not a smoker nor  drinker, still the road life burns one out.   I had a weird heatbeat that freaked out physician giving me the physical.  I had not checked it in a long time due to the great health insurance available to road techs, due to prohibitably high Cobra costs.  To pass a physical for an outage, you have to come in below 160/110, I had been slowly rising over the years.  At my last outage physical I was up to 150/99.   There were many older folks who came close and some did not pass.

I now have good health care provided by my employer, my bp down to average 130/81 and working on other health conditions the road life was hiding.  In spite of the number of younger Seniors out there, the average age of a road tech is 55.  They need to train more Jr.s soon or they will have few of us left.  If you watch Nukeworker there is about 1 per week "fallen" nainly due to age.  I will watch and see how well they fill the outages.   Maybe through attrition the wages will finally start to rise to the road tech to over $30/hr. where it should be.

[Chimera]

I have been both and, more importantly, I've enjoyed both roles.  If you return to the same facilities and work with more or less the same crew, you will be trusted with more as a road tech but never quite the same as a house tech. 

We had a situation that illustrates that occur last year: We were covering the eddy current crews.  One evening, near the end of shift, we had to take full control of the workers - cameras, communications, teledosimetry and everything - since the guys in the ESPN room had to leave early.  While it wasn't that hard a thing to manage, making sure every little thing was covered required a higher level of effort for the roadies than it did for the house techs since they were more familiar with all the plant's requirements and procedures.  While some roadies who have worked the same few plants for years have earned higher positions of trust and acceptance, most of us roadies will have a small struggle with all of a given plant's idiosyncracies until we have more time at that particular plant.

[duke99301]

There are three kinds of techs House tech, Rent a tech and Rent a house techs.
rent a house was a tech in place long term like the old beaver vally days when most of the site had  contractors.

[RDTroja]

There are three kinds of techs House tech, Rent a tech and Rent a house techsl.

By rent a house tech, I am assuming you are referring to the Common Law House Tech, known to have spent ten or more years at one plant. A rare breed now, they were common during the 70s and 80s. I knew one couple that spent about 8 years at one plant drawing double perdiem and pay. When the IRS started cracking down they had to go house. Fortunately for them, they had already paid off their house, cars and (if I recall properly) a boat of not insignificant size.

[Content1]

The season is nearly over and they had a hard time getting people to Surry.   My daughter attended the outage, and she is a junior and she told some supervisors, in response to a question put at her, that if the outage is only 2 weeks again she would not return.   Amazingly, they told her she will be there from 18 to 21 days.   Not as good as the 28 days the outage listing says, but they (I hope) are starting to see it may make economic sense to keep the outage a little longer, do a little more needed maintenance, and find they can get people to come back.

[Brett LaVigne]

Shipyard tech. : Not trusted, paid poorly, GREAT on-going training. Pretty much sucked in every way except the training and benefits.

I have never been house at a commercial utility. As a rent a tech, I have always had a certain level of satisfaction with the job. I like what I do, always have. Of course the lack of on-going training, bene's and often times low pay are unsatisfying. Old story that you all know.

The exception in my traveling experience was of course Diablo. Contractors basically run the show in the field and are given some pretty decent latitude to do the job. Good leadership for the most part with only a couple of exceptions. You've all heard the rest.

I am currently working a decommissioning. We are technically temporary additionals like at Diablo. The entire group of RP/Decon were hand picked. We have full benefits and an on-going training program every other Friday working toward NRRPT testing. We have first line boss's that trust our judgement and give us very good guidance. We also have an RPM that truely cares about our satisfaction with the job, he is the best I have seen...ever. We have a very unique challenge with transuranics throughout the system from sever fuel failures which makes almost every job interesting and challenging. I would have to say that it is the most satisfying job I have had.

[RAD-GHOST]

Brett, I heard the view isn't bad either......

[Brett LaVigne]

Brett, I heard the view isn't bad either......

HA! That depends on which direction your looking! Actually, it is the strangest area I have ever lived. The most beautiful too. The Redwoods, canyons, and rugged coastline are second to none. But it rains alot during the winter. The hippies are highly entertaining and the homeless in Eureka get a bit old standing on every corner with thier sign and dog. It really is a love/hate relationship. The area is awesome but California's failing handout programs can really make some areas ugly. All in all, there is nowhere I would rather be working, I am quite fortunate for that.

[darkmatter]

House Tech vs. Road Tech, ehh....

There is an unofficial test with the question: What's the difference between a House Mouse and a Road Rat? One of the answers is:

One is healthy, wealthy and wise with a Kiss my *** mother****** attitude and the other is weak, pathetic poor with a Yes Sir, right away Sir attitude.

I use to think I knew which one was which, now I think it's not the job category you hold but how well you've been able to deal with the changing economic climate and bureaucratic politics that determines your personal wealth and attitude.

As for me, I see the light at the end of the Tunnel and am looking forward to saying for the last time: "Kiss my............."

[MeterSwangin]

We also have an RPM that truely cares about our satisfaction with the job, he is the best I have seen...ever.

Albers?

[1xcarnie]

Well I think that all depends on the company you work for and the management you work under. It's nice having a steady pay check and sleeping in the same bed everynight. BUT there is something to say about the rear view mirror and the plant you just left in it. I miss the road and a lot of the people on it. I work with great people and like my plant but the road has been my home for lot of years and it's still in my blood. Take it from an 1XCARNIE life is what you make it. House VS road that's a hard call. Take care and be good.

[hezabear]

House Tech vs. Road Tech, ehh....

There is an unofficial test with the question: What's the difference between a House Mouse and a Road Rat? One of the answers is:

One is healthy, wealthy and wise with a Kiss my *** mother****** attitude and the other is weak, pathetic poor with a Yes Sir, right away Sir attitude.

I use to think I knew which one was which, now I think it's not the job category you hold but how well you've been able to deal with the changing economic climate and bureaucratic politics that determines your personal wealth and attitude.

As for me, I see the light at the end of the Tunnel and am looking forward to saying for the last time: "Kiss my............."

I think is more how you act as a man/professional than what type of attitude you have. Be professional and you can tell them to kiss you XXX and in a polite way and they will never know it.

[Smart People]

Lets not forget the baggage you bring with you. If you think it all sucks all the time, it always will. On many occasions friends of mine will tell me how horrible a job is. When I get there I end up having the time of my life (and make great money too!).
We all bring our filters with us and whether you are mouse or rat, it all depends on the shade of the rose colored glasses you are wearing.

[Content1]

I think many prefer to whine.

[Cathy]

I think many prefer to whine.

You can have both, I am a house mouse and I still whine 

[btkeele]

You can have both, I am a house mouse and I still whine 

Some things never change........

[biloxoi blues]

I also prefer to whine and Im a house mouse for now.

[Old HP]

Everybody whines, some do it louder, some do it better, some even do it all the time. As to the house versus road tech issue it really does not matter as both are temporary positions. No one stays in the rat race forever. Thirty years and still going but my hair is getting grayer and my patience is getting shorter.  (oops there I am whining again, sorry Cathy)

[duke99301]

Do not for get the Rent A House tech...

[Content1]

If someone spills some contaminated water and then cries about it, is that called "Turning water into whine?"

[retired nuke]

If someone spills some contaminated water and then cries about it, is that called "Turning water into whine?"

I really, really, really .... really ought to smite you for that one.......

[HydroDave63]

I'll do it for ya! 

[mostlyharmless]

There's a lot to be said for both. You can stay at home and enjoy the family and everyone can develop relationships with people you see often and in person, over years and not months. You can have the comfort of routine.
On the other hand ( sounds like a song ) theres the boredom of mind numbing routine,office politics, the high school emotional development of coworkers, and familiarity breeds contempt. Dead end job, etc.
I wonder how the divorce rate among the road vs. the house compares.
The road is exciting. I have seen places and done things ( work included ) that most of my coworkers have not. And I have met and loved some wonderfull people and consequently failed to keep up with.
On the other hand ( again the song ) theres the looking for work,looking for a place to live. The work is much harder physically, and theres the challenge of trying to put the breaks on a train that does not slow down unless forced.
In short, I love being home but I sure do miss the road. And i feel I was more sharp, or had to stay sharp while on the road. I am more knowlegable now but less astute while covering a job. I don't mean sorry,just not as sharp.
I have gone from snow storms in Nebraska and whale watching from the roof in Ca to watching the seasons change in S.C. It comes and goes. MH

[UncaBuffalo]

There's a lot to be said for both. You can stay at home and enjoy the family and everyone can develop relationships with people you see often and in person, over years and not months. You can have the comfort of routine.
On the other hand ( sounds like a song ) theres the boredom of mind numbing routine,office politics, the high school emotional development of coworkers, and familiarity breeds contempt. Dead end job, etc.
I wonder how the divorce rate among the road vs. the house compares.
The road is exciting. I have seen places and done things ( work included ) that most of my coworkers have not. And I have met and loved some wonderfull people and consequently failed to keep up with.
On the other hand ( again the song ) theres the looking for work,looking for a place to live. The work is much harder physically, and theres the challenge of trying to put the breaks on a train that does not slow down unless forced.
In short, I love being home but I sure do miss the road. And i feel I was more sharp, or had to stay sharp while on the road. I am more knowlegable now but less astute while covering a job. I don't mean sorry,just not as sharp.
I have gone from snow storms in Nebraska and whale watching from the roof in Ca to watching the seasons change in S.C. It comes and goes. MH

Good point!

[Content1]

It is a year since my last road outage where as a 3.1 senior, I only made $13,000 for the entire Spring 2009.  It ticked my off enough when I got nothing from the recruiters that would assure me this would not happen again.   This Spring my Jr. daughters only got one outage.   I took a house tech job June 2009 and the results?  In the one year since I left I made a yearly rate of 72K plus 6K matched in my 401K.   I get paid for a month off with pay and holidays.   My pay is set to go up 11% in May.   I actually see my family at home.   I have a 6 month supply of food and hard currency stored for emergencies.   My car, which had a shadow hanging over it close to death, like Tiny Tim, did not die but lives on.   I can ride a bike to work to exercise and go green.   I have full medical benefits.    I do not get per diem, yet I don't worry if I am sick on a workday I would lose it.   When I vacation now I do not rush across the country on my own dime to a job and look at the sights as I pass them by AT 65 mph, only to arrive at motels with rates jacked up for the outage the I can get of 1/3 the cost outside of the outage time.   I would say House tech is the way to go in my case.

[xobxdoc]

I wouldn't trade my road tech days for anything. There were good and bad times, but it makes me appreciate what I have now. I will have 10 years in Ops this November. I have a sense of belonging that I never had working on the road. I volunteer at my son's school and coach his baseball team. I waved him home as 3rd base coach for his first home run. I could not imagine missing that if I stilled traveled. I get decent time off and the money is pretty good too. I wouldn't mind a Thursday after shift volley ball/ beach party at SONGS though. Do they still do that?

[RRhoads]

I think many prefer to whine.

Seems like YOU are the one who prefers to whine.....
I really have nothing against you, but you continually bash the road where iam gonna guess you received a good majority of your experience? Not to mention your TIME to be a 3.1 which most likely was a big part of you getting the house job you have? ( i say this cuz we only hire 3.1's at the plant iam house at)
Seems to me you are far enough removed from the road that you wouldnt be so,
"bitter bob" about it! Some others might call it "paying your dues"??
Alot of people have had good & bad experiences with the recruiters, so dont think for a minute that yours are unique.
I too perfer the "comfort" of a house tech job but wouldnt trade my 16 yrs on the road as a deconner/Jr Hp/ Sr HP for anything!
As for House vs. Road tech, timing is everything & the time will prob come where iam back on the road too.....but for now, the house tech job is where its at!

[retread]

Plus 1 K for you RRhoads!!

[Content1]

I am not "bitter", it is just house jobs with the current market is "better."  I use to wonder why a house tech would forgo per diem until my 13K spring.  The market could change . . . but I doubt it will until the economy changes, nuclear plants are going for the lowest bidder as long as people are willing to take the jobs.

[fueldryer]

I am not "bitter", it is just house jobs with the current market is "better."  I use to wonder why a house tech would forgo per diem until my 13K spring.  The market could change . . . but I doubt it will until the economy changes, nuclear plants are going for the lowest bidder as long as people are willing to take the jobs.

Nine (9) times you've posted on this topic and nine (9) times all you,ve done is bitched and moaned.For god's sakes, Stop!! Maybe you should consider a different career path?You are bitter,probabally think the world owes you a living too!If I were a recruiter,hell I wouldn't call either as you seem to be a whiner.Good luck with your house job,hope I'm never covered on a job by you.

[Content1]

Yes, I will stop posting altogether as I find this is not a free idea board anymore, just a politically correctness board that I have lost interest in. 
Good bye to you all, and Moderator, PLEASE remove my name Permanently from this system.

[RAD-GHOST]

Yes, I will stop posting altogether as I find this is not a free idea board anymore, just a politically correctness board that I have lost interest in. 
Good bye to you all, and Moderator, PLEASE remove my name Permanently from this system.

A man is only as good as his word.......

Bye-Bye, Adios, Asta-La-Vista,............

fueldryer,

You just earned the title "NUCLEAR GOD" for the next 1440 minutes!


Have a Great Day......RG!

[mostlyharmless]

I also would not trade anything for my road years. I paid my dues and left sweat and puke all over the country and took away dose and not enough money. This is not a complaint. Like C1 I state my perspective. I reread all of C1s posts and do not see the negativity that others see. He is stating his perspective as he has a right to do,as you have a right to respond with yours. C1 should not go away mad. Defend yourself or just let it go. Unless you know each other it should not get personal. But do not stop posting just because someone reacts adversely.  MH

[RRhoads]

Boo-f-ing hoo!
Maybe YOU should re-read some of your posts...iam sure this will get deleted cuz its off topic, but i really have a good sense of what kinda conversations woulda happened in the breakroom if you were there!...you are prob a bitter house tech too!

[fueldryer]

Yes, I will stop posting altogether as I find this is not a free idea board anymore, just a politically correctness board that I have lost interest in. 
Good bye to you all, and Moderator, PLEASE remove my name Permanently from this system.

I didn't post a reply to piss someone off or get them to give up and run away.Just stating the facts.Most of C1's post are pretty negitive,not just this thread either.Hell,more so than mine.I've worked with plenty of house tech's and plenty of contractor tech's and they all(well most)are top notch(I'm not a HP).Keep on posting C1 and keep it real.

[mostlyharmless]

Back to the topic. Whats this topic about? Witch techs are better, witch has better working conditions,personal preference? All of the above and more. I just got through moping my assigned area of the building as part of my housekeeping duties. I am growing fond of the mop and am doing a pretty good job. I am 21 yrs into the business and nrrpt and I have no problem moping. The rotating shift is hurting me now and the boredom takes its toll.I get one week a month in addition to vacation and sick time to recover from shift. I live at home all the time, and I just got through planting peach and cherry trees and azaleas at my new house that I live in all the time. But, I still miss the road, its difficult to get it out of your blood. I met my most excellent wife of 15 yrs on the road. I learned a lot about a lot of things on the road. And I have found that I still am able to learn.
Bitter? yea,sometimes. Life is good but it could be better. I just don't do well with the boredom, but I'm working on it.
Discussions in a break room? Give me a break, have you ever been in a break room? The topics are as wide and varied as you can get. That is another thing I miss. A little less political correctness. But I can contribute to a discussion on many subjects, like this one. I have been there, both ways and respect each. This is a great site. You can put your opinion out there for anyone to see. That is if you can articulate one and are not scared. But I digress. I guess it does boil down to personal preference.I wish I could have it both ways.

[IPREGEN]

The vs. is a little too broad.
House tech gets better formal training
better benefits

Road tech usually has more outage per year experience and has the chance to see a variety of techniques / systems, used at different plants. This can be considered better informal training

but...
There are dirt bags and superstars on both sides of the paycheck. Some house techs are "retired in place" while others are making it all happen. Some roadies are impossible to find while others feel like part of the house "working" family because of their contribution.

A friend once asked a bragging nuke, "Do you have 20 years of experience, or 1 year twenty times?" 
It's a good question.

[Nuclear NASCAR]

A friend once asked a bragging nuke, "Do you have 20 years of experience, or 1 year twenty times?" 
It's a good question.

Post of the day at the very least!

[UncaBuffalo]

A friend once asked a bragging nuke, "Do you have 20 years of experience, or 1 year twenty times?"  
It's a good question.

I've heard that quote before...and here's my response to it:

If you need a tech to cover your refueling cavity (or nasty job of your choice), do you want the 'well-rounded' 20-year tech that knows all about routines, count room, instruments, environmental, etc...or the 'mono-faceted-1-year-twenty-times' tech that has only done refuel floors over and over and over and over...?

Yes, you have a nice sound bite, but...it all just depends on what you need done...  1 year 20 times is NOT a bad thing in & of itself.

[mostlyharmless]

Being good at this job transcends where you work. It does not transcend experience. When I think well rounded, I think experience,especially job coverage,  of a wide variety of situations.  What do you do for a glove puncture at a Pu-239 glovebox facility? How about pulling insulation from a leaky rcp, or initial entry into containment? This is not to take away from the countroom or routines, the plant runs on routines. Some folks love the count room,more power to them. I prefer the jobs. I am project oriented. I loved the outages and would do any job. Everything was new and I love being in the BRT. Now I work at a DOE facility and the challenges are no less,only different. I don't know what it is to be house in commercial.
There is a lot to be said for focusing,specializing in one area, but a lot also for wide ranging experience. Each recquires a different mindset. This topic is to broad. But since the first day I walked on site as a "rent a tech" ( I hated that term, but I've been called worse) I have thought about the difference between the two environments ,the road vs. stay at home,and the type of techs each produces. Its not the place , but the tech.IPREGEN  is right, there are fantastic techs and sorry techs in both. I felt like there was competition for work while on the road, and taking the test so often made me more sharp. Also the pace of the work made me sharp. Now the pace is slow and I have to keep myself sharp. I don't work at he same pace, I don't cover work every day,so I don't feel as sharp with the coverage. I hate to say it but I believe I was a better tech ,in some but not all ways,before I got here. And its because of the slow pace.
I keep repeating myself and going around and around on this subject. Perhaps it could be narrowed a bit. I have worked in outages in Commercial,as a sub at doe sites and now house at doe. So house to me is doe. Is there a big difference between the house world of the two?

[retread]

We are required to perform our jobs considering the direction given us by the house techs.  You may know our direction is wrong, but we still need to comply.  I need this job, I'll do what is required.  Is that wrong?

[RAD-GHOST]

mostlyharmless,

I'm thinking you need a week at the Tiki Bar in Holiday Isle...

retread,

The answer is "YES"!  If you comply with something you KNOW is WRONG, then YOU are WRONG!

I recently had a conversation on the same subject with a Technician I use to have confidence in.  He informed me that he would do whatever his supervisor requested, (right or wrong), because he was being paid to do so and considered the request a condition of immunity!  I never have, don't now and never will need a job that bad!  If "Neck Down" is a title you wear proudly, then you're probably as far as you're going to get!

Have a Great Day...RG!

[UncaBuffalo]

We are required to perform our jobs considering the direction given us by the house techs.  You may know our direction is wrong, but we still need to comply.  I need this job, I'll do what is required.  Is that wrong?

retread,

The answer is "YES"!  If you comply with something you KNOW is WRONG, then YOU are WRONG!

How WRONG is wrong?

If you are asked to do something that is illegal, then you have to say 'No'.  (This includes procedural violation...you can be prosecuted as a 'willful violator' if you intentionally do an action that you know is prohibited...)

If your supervisor is just asking you to do something in a different manner than you would choose (even if it is blatantly stupid), then sometimes it's easiest just to do it the house way.  (Note:  If you are convinced it is stupid to the point of dangerous...for you or your crew...ask them to put it in writing.  I've only had to do this twice in 20+ years...once, they realized how dumb it was going to look on paper and did it my way.  The other time, they went ahead and wrote it down as an order in the logbook for me...and everything worked out fine...they were 'right' that the job could be done their way.)

[Camella Black]

How WRONG is wrong?

If you are asked to do something that is illegal, then you have to say 'No'.  (This includes procedural violation...you can be prosecuted as a 'willful violator' if you intentionally do an action that you know is prohibited...)

If your supervisor is just asking you to do something in a different manner than you would choose (even if it is blatantly stupid), then sometimes it's easiest just to do it the house way.  (Note:  If you are convinced it is stupid to the point of dangerous...for you or your crew...ask them to put it in writing.  I've only had to do this twice in 20+ years...once they realized how dumb it was going to look on paper and did it my way.  Once they went ahead and wrote it down as an order in the logbook for me...and everything worked out fine...they were 'right' that the job could be done their way.)

I heard once that hubby Henry was asked to violate procedure and he was quoted as saying " Put it in writing, sign it and then I might consider it"... or something to that manner... I applaud you for standing up for your principles in this day and age.

[IPREGEN]

I've heard that quote before...and here's my response to it:

If you need a tech to cover your refuel bridge (or nasty job of your choice), do you want the 'well-rounded' 20-year tech that knows all about routines, count room, instruments, environmental, etc...or the 'mono-faceted-1-year-twenty-times' tech that has only done refuel bridges over and over and over...?

Yes, you have a nice sound bite, but...it all just depends on what you need done...  1 year 20 times is NOT a bad thing in & of itself.

The point is you may have someone who never advances his skills and knowledge. Maybe they already know everything. We have met them. You could put a Jr on the bridge to "ride"

[RAD-GHOST]

Marssim,

Where's that Colonel Nathan R. Jessep speech when you need it.....

....You want me on that Bridge.....You need me on that Bridge......

Opps, off topic,

Got to go, RG!

[Shawnee Man]

You want me on that wall.

[rocknrollrick]

Great Jack Nicholson Road Tech's Rule !!!!!!!!!!!!

[RAD-GHOST]

Excellent, but you may have lost a few with the acronyms....

RP = Radiation Protection

FME = Foreign Material Excussion

SAFDL = Specified Acceptable Fuel Design Limits

DNBR = Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio

EFPH =  Effective Full Power Hours

GDC-10 = General Design Criteria ...#10 requires that the reactor core be designed with appropriate margin to assure that specified acceptable fuel design limits will not be exceeded during any condition of normal operation. A Good Thing...

Hu-rrrrrrrrah..RG!   

[mostlyharmless]

Vote your experience not your preference.

[mostlyharmless]

Vote your preference not your experience.

[Dwayne]

I am a road tech. and always will be...use to work at plants for 4-6 months at a time back in the 80's...now lucky to get 30+ days at a plant.   

[Marlin]

I put down long term contract, but when I was younger it would have been road %100.

[Laundry Man]

Eight years was my longest.  But now sleeping in my own bed most evenings seems to work a lot better for me.
LM

[Mike_Koehler]

Now that I have family....... house. If it was just me, not so much .....

Mike

[stormgoalie]

I am with you Mike.  If it was just me I would love to be on the road as I like to travel etc.  With a family not so much.

[radbrat]

Have tried staying in one place, 10 months was the longest. The road is for me!

[retired nuke]

Now that I have family....... house. If it was just me, not so much .....

Mike

Ditto - even to the point of refusing OT now... 

[Bonds 25]

On the road for 10 1/2 years.....House Tech for 2 1/2.......making $50,000 more a year, while having full benefits and a retirement package.....Priceless.
I do miss the summers off  .....but with my Shift Schedule, I only work half the year anyways.

[Already Gone]

The hardest part of being a house tech was seeing the same people every day, all year, every year, until the outage came along and we got to see new and old friends.

The hardest part of being a road tech was saying goodbye all the time.

House makes so much more sense.  There is so much more stability and security.  But, in my heart, I'll always be a roadie.

[MeterSwangin]

The roughest aspect of the house techs is their belief that they know what they are doing and need no input from the road techs who all know what they are doing and need no input.......................

[RRhoads]

The roughest aspect of the house techs is their belief that they know what they are doing and need no input from the road techs who all know what they are doing and need no input.......................

And dealing with rent-a-wrecks saying," well at XYZ plant we did it like this!"
And by the way, we do know what we are doing!
alot of us anymore ARE x- carnies!

[Chimera]

The roughest aspect of the house techs is their belief that they know what they are doing and need no input from the road techs who all know what they are doing and need no input.......................

A good house tech knows their equipment and their plant.  They also know the reasons behind some of their procedures.  As an example, at an outage at Quad Cities last year, we had a house junior tech as our lead tech - and he was worth his weight in gold.  He knew what he had available and where it was kept and the procedures for doing things their way.

The biggest draw-back I've seen with most "roadies" is that they start to open their mouths before they've taken the time to learn things the way that particular plant wants them to.  They should always take the time to first learn how to do things the way that particular plants wants before suggesting "improvements".  The worst offenders of this practice are the roadies who have spent a lot of time at one particular plant.

House or road, we all want to work within our individual comfort zones.  Consequently, we try to maintain habits learned from previous jobs when we venture into a new job.  It doesn't matter if it's a house tech that's used to covering generators who gets reassigned to the yard or a roadie switching plants for the next outage.

Just in case you were wondering, I've been both.  Currently, I'm a supervisor.  I attempt to recognize the relative strengths and weaknesses of both and utilize them for the most successful completion of whatever jobs we're assigned to do.  As a general rule, I expect the house techs to have superior technical knowledge since they get more training and I expect the road techs to have superior on-the-job skills since outages are their usual working conditions.  In that vein, we can all learn from each other.

Mike

[biloxoi blues]

Im a house tech trapped in a roadie's mentality

[nukewood]

I am an ex house tech, 3 different plants. Now, after years of commercial ,it's back to DOE for a season. This business is great for those of us with "wanderlust". My children still love me and actually thank me for the diversity of their background,though one of them struggled with it at the time. My ex wife loves me too,as long as she no longer has to follow me around the country.

[Camella Black]

I am an ex house tech, 3 different plants. Now, after years of commercial ,it's back to DOE for a season. This business is great for those of us with "wanderlust". My children still love me and actually thank me for the diversity of their background,though one of them struggled with it at the time. My ex wife loves me too,as long as she no longer has to follow me around the country.

Henry has never been a house tech, but we have been located in one spot for long term jobs. I miss the longer outages and I did not mind the travel, although 84-85 was hard as my dad was fighting cancer and I wanted to be home. My children too enjoyed seeing and learning about other areas of the country although our oldest found it hard to leave school friends. This is why we came home to SC to be near family and settle the children down in one school district.

I have really enjoyed the traveling since they are all grown up, but now we have grandchildren which makes it hard as well, thankfully Henry is close by so we can at least see each other on days off or I can slip away for mini-trips to where he is at.

Without our life on the road, we would have missed out on.. Bill Mahoney, Sue Z., Debbie Sass, Joel, Tim, RT, DT, JD and the rest of those guys in CT; Spanky and the gang from Turkey Point, Dick Reed, traveling and rooming with Brad, Canada, Detroit, fishing in the keys, the Ozark Mountains, The Green Mountains, Wiscasset Maine eating Lobsters and waiting on Summah!

Life on the road has been very good to us and yes very hard but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world!

[mostlyharmless]

Over 8000 views! If you work in this business go to the polls and vote. Lets see who has done what and who likes what. MH

[Chimera]

Son, we work in a plant that has fuel, and that fuel has to be shuffled by men on a bridge. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Mr. RP Tech? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for deconners, and you curse FME. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That an FME search, while tragic, protects SAFDL. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, prevents DNBR. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that bridge, you need me on that bridge. We use words like reconstitution, baffle jetting, dummy rods. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent maximizing EFPH. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very GDC-10 that I assure, and then questions the manner in which I assure it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a qual standard, and shuffle the fuel. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

I love it - great parody!

However, I will answer this way: As a former reactor operator, fuel handler, refueling engineer, Rad engineer, HP Tech, lead tech, crew supervisor, shift supervisor, project manager, radiation safety officer and various other titles and jobs, what I am entitled to is your best work just the same as you are entitled to mine regardless of our unique positions at the moment.  Together, we get it done.  When we fight each other, the job goes downhill rapidly.  When we cooperate, the outage goes smoothly.  When we don't, poles go in the wrong holes and people get contaminated and, potentially, over exposed.  Your best . . . is that too much to ask from a fellow professional?

[RDTroja]

I love it - great parody!

However, I will answer this way: As a former reactor operator, fuel handler, refueling engineer, Rad engineer, HP Tech, lead tech, crew supervisor, shift supervisor, project manager, radiation safety officer and various other titles and jobs, what I am entitled to is your best work just the same as you are entitled to mine regardless of our unique positions at the moment.  Together, we get it done.  When we fight each other, the job goes downhill rapidly.  When we cooperate, the outage goes smoothly.  When we don't, poles go in the wrong holes and people get contaminated and, potentially, over exposed.  Your best . . . is that too much to ask from a fellow professional?

Keyword = 'Professional'

As far as I can tell (and please pardon my cynicism) there are very few of those around anymore. Mostly people complain about the pay, complain about the plant, complain about the management, complain about the contract companies... you get the picture. We used to have a lot of fun at outages and get all the work done, too. Anymore it is just who can work less and get paid more, dump on the others and leave. This used to be such a good industry to be in.

I know, I know... listen to the old man reminisce.

[Marlin]

Keyword = 'Professional'

As far as I can tell (and please pardon my cynicism) there are very few of those around anymore. Mostly people complain about the pay, complain about the plant, complain about the management, complain about the contract companies... you get the picture. We used to have a lot of fun at outages and get all the work done, too. Anymore it is just who can work less and get paid more, dump on the others and leave. This used to be such a good industry to be in.

I know, I know... listen to the old man reminisce.

Huh!?!? Type louder.. 

[RDTroja]

Next time I will use a bigger font.

[RAD-GHOST]

Hey Rog, you left something out...

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/h/bhymnotr.htm

Have a Great Day..RG