I always hoped that I'd end up working at a power plant like SONGS in San Onofre, CA primarily for its location since I grew up in Orange County.
1. Don't limit yourself to any one location. In my experience, pick a job/career and then look for an opening somewhere and get your foot in the door. If location is really more important than your career, then you obviously search for a broad variety of career options (e.g., non-nuclear) in your primary area. That's a completely different job search. Why not send a resume to your home state utility, but also send it out to other companies in locations that you'd be willing to accept an offer? As you work your way up the civilian corporate ranks, you can make you way back to CA...as the job/opportunities allow.
I have plans on finishing my degree in nuclear engineering technology through Excelsior College before I get out. Do power plants actually acknowledge the ABET certification that this college endorses?
2. Excellent. ABET is a certification for a technical college program. It's not a matter of an employer acknowledging the college's credentials...it's a matter of do you have the combination of education and experience they're looking for? No, you're not qualified to design new reactors...but it doesn't seem like you're looking for that anyway. There are dissenting opinions on the value of Nuclear Engineering Technology degrees in the Forum (see other posts); however, keep in mind you can continue into a full engineering graduate program with your Excelsior undergrad degree. Get accepted into a MS Engineering Program (e.g.,
http://www.smu.edu/) and put that on your resume.
I've started the process for qualifying EWS but will this pay off?
3. I don't think that getting a few sigs on the EWS/EDPO qual cards will count for much. There's enough experience in the industry that understands what it means for a CO to qualify you and let you stand watch for 3+ years. I haven't heard of "bonus points" for sigs on an unfinished card.
Good luck.
Co60
