New to the JHP BIZ Fill me in...

[Tina]

Hello Nuke's,

Just a quick question...   I am coming from a Nuclear Security background and have been at a Nuclear Power Plant for the past seven years...However I felt a need for change and jumped at the opportunity to train with Bartlett Co. to become a JHP can you'al give me some idea of what will be coming my way...
ie: 1.  What's considered a good pay rate vs whats a poor pay rate.
     2.  Types of perks to look for 
     3. best vs worst lodging types 
     4.  some of the better places to work at.

[HydroDave63]

Lots of climbing around and getting dirty sometimes, bored other times, 20:1 guys , some scoundrels, other techs with a LOT of experience and knowledge to share. It's a big adventure, and you might make some friends in the process. Have fun! 

[RAD-GHOST]

So long as you don't have to sell your sole to the company store, probably a good move.  There seems to be an air of mystery to this program.  I keep hearing about it, but only through the grape vine, without details.  Even without the details, any formalized program is a plus!   

As far as Junior training and experience, like Hydrodave said, lots of climbing around and getting dirty.  If that ain't the case, your in the wrong place!  Most sites stick the juniors behind a desk for umteen years, then one day, they expect them to pick up the instruments and jump into the field with flawless results.  Getting out in the field and doing the job with experienced techs is crucial!  That was the way of the industry in the past, but economics errased that type of training.   

The good, the bad and the ugly!  You have to see them all to establish a future foot hold on your career.  You will see and hear a lot of rumbling on a variety of issues, on different sites, companies and people on this website.  Some true, some not!  As a junior, I suggest you take whatever comes your way, you need that 4000 to 6000 hours to meet the ANSI qual's.  Stay flexible, diversified and open to new ventures.  Take the sure things and forget about the speculative offers.  There are a ton of companies looking for people at this time and will be in the future!       

[UncaBuffalo]

Hello Nuke's,

Just a quick question...   I am coming from a Nuclear Security background and have been at a Nuclear Power Plant for the past seven years...However I felt a need for change and jumped at the opportunity to train with Bartlett Co. to become a JHP can you'al give me some idea of what will be coming my way...
ie: 1.  What's considered a good pay rate vs whats a poor pay rate.
     2.  Types of perks to look for 
     3. best vs worst lodging types 
     4.  some of the better places to work at.

My answer to question 3 will always be "Buy an RV!!!".   If you don't mind room mates, it's usually fairly easy to find someone to split a vacation rental or hotel room with, but...

As far as questions 1, 2, & 4...you won't have many options for your first few years - there are so many people clawing for so few spots that you will end up having to take whatever jobs are available.  Don't despair tho'...once you make 3.1 Senior, it IS a great lifestyle.

Good Luck and HAVE FUN! 

[Atomic_Punk]

Stay away from the BS politics, don't be a suck- up, nobody likes suck- ups
except for other suck-ups, keep an open mind, ask LOTS of questions (there
are no stupid questions), volunteer for jobs so you can get some experience.
If you don't pipe up, they'll leave you at a control point and you'll just sit there and rot.  Don't go on jobs with Unca Buffalo, he only likes the really nasty ones! (just kidding, you'll learn alot from the folks like him) Keep a positive attitude and enjoy yourself. 

[roadhard]

Volunteer to assist on the dirtiest jobs, be it radiological or not, never complain, never be late, always be early and when it appears nothing is going on ask if there is anything you can do to help.

As far as the "worst - best" goes, I recommend the worst, that way you'll appreciate the best. 

[snowman]

You'll be roadhard, all right.  For about a two week outage, then cut loose. Some business. My advice, set down your meters and slowly back away. Then run, don't walk, (don't look back) and get back to school and get a real degree. This industry is in the toilet and it's only going to get worse. See any nuke plants being built? I don't, in fact they're being torn by dynamite and heavy equipment and being replaced by 400 mega watt gas fired power plants that can be built in 18 months!!

Benefits?  Fuggaaduboutit! Time off with pay?  Not on your life! Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Never heard of it. Pension...Retirement Accounts? Sure, but we can't contribute to it. Now that the rent-a-tech biz is controlled by one company, you'll get what they give you and be happy about it.

Sorry to be a wet blanket here, but it's true.  And a lot of people on this site are either blind to it or completely ignorant to the way this business was run 15 and 20 years ago.  And if it wasn't for three little letters (DOE) the rent-a-tech HP profession would be gone. How people are surviving on two or three of these 10-14 day outages is beyond me.

But hey, you might get lucky, be in the right place and the right time, land a house job and be all right. I wish you luck.

[Tina]

Hey,

Thanks out there for all the open and honest info...   A gal needs to know whats shes in for... and since I don't eat sugar (as in SUGAR COATING) it was good to hear from some real people... Good or bad I'm not scared, I dont sleep with a light on.... I am a hard worker and always have been so I think I'll fit right in... and if all else fails at least I made some new friends.... 

[Roll Tide]

You'll be roadhard, all right.  For about a two week outage, then cut loose. Some business. My advice, set down your meters and slowly back away. Then run, don't walk, (don't look back) and get back to school and get a real degree. This industry is in the toilet and it's only going to get worse. See any nuke plants being built? I don't, in fact they're being torn by dynamite and heavy equipment and being replaced by 400 mega watt gas fired power plants that can be built in 18 months!!

Benefits?  Fuggaaduboutit! Time off with pay?  Not on your life! Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Never heard of it. Pension...Retirement Accounts? Sure, but we can't contribute to it. Now that the rent-a-tech biz is controlled by one company, you'll get what they give you and be happy about it.

There are plenty of plants getting there license extended, just a few that were already closed being decommissioned. We won't see wholesale decommissionings for another 25 years, and then those just starting in the business today should be managing it or working to supplement their retirement.

How many more gas-fired plants will be built, since natural gas is now being shipped in from overseas because we don't have the excess capacity we previously had? The future for commercial nuclear power looks better than it has in decades, not just years.

Still, it is reasonable to compare the opportunities out there in jobs you could qualify in an equal amount of time. Could you make more as a nurse, for example, with the same or less time in training? Would the lifestyle of a realtor better match your personality than nuclear? Before you invest a decade in this industry (to become a topped out Senior Tech with a gazillion certifications) consider your alternatives.

If the lifestyle that currently exists for nukes appeals to you, then it is a great field for you to be working and it looks like employment will be stable while the employment pool shrinks. That should translate to more $$$$$.