Gentlemen (and ladies),
A little background, then my questions are in bold. I am a navy LT getting out in the next few months. I have an engineering degree and my masters in management (not an MBA).
I have made the usual rounds at a few plants and have a few offers. However, I am not sure I am ready to roll right from the Navy into shift work. With that in mind I have explored a few of the Nuclear suppliers (Westinghouse, Mitsubishi, etc). Im not too keen on Pittsburgh and have been considering MNES pretty seriously in Northern VA. I would be interviewing for an Engineering/Project Management type of position in their APWR division. My questions is about the APWR. It seems to me that AP1000 is the plant of choice in the US and there is only one APWR plant in the works as of right now (Commanche Peak I think). Would it be silly of me to hitch my wagon to a company who seems to be struggling to gain market share in the new construction business? Is that assessment of the APWR plant even correct?
Second question. I have also had some dialogue with a few energy consulting companies who specialize in the Nuclear industry (supply chain stuff mostly). I think this would be a good way to get a lot of broad exposure to the industry and build my resume before making a jump to a management type position with a utility (probably my ultimate goal, even though Im still not entirely sure what I wanna do when I grow up). The flip side to that coin is that I have gotten a lot of feedback that the SRO license is an important ticket to get punched. Does anyone have any experience with this type of consulting position? or thoughts on the necessity of getting an SRO license?
Last question...Along the same lines as the consulting idea, I have considered the NRC as a good way to get a broad exposure to the Nuclear industry. But again, may not get my SRO license if I go that route. Does anyone have any experience with making the jump from the NRC to a utility?
Thanks in advance for your time and looking forward to the witty comments...
Mark
Ok, I'll take a stab at each question one at a time:
1) Mitsubishi vs Westinghouse - You're assessment is a little off. Currently ABWRs are being built in Japan and further along in construction than any AP1000's in the US or any of the 4 in China. As of right now, only Vogtle is actually actively constructing AP1000's in the US, and they're doing very preliminary work without a COL. Although more utilities have expressed interest in the AP1000, you'll find through some research that expressing interest means nothing in the US Nuclear Industry at this point. Also, if you went to work for Westinghouse you would be more likely to work on a non-AP-1000 plant (60 something of them globally) than an AP-1000 (4-6 orders) - even if you take an AP1000 job. When the AP1000 work dries up, as it does every year when the funding runs out, work is redistributed throughout the company.
That being said, working for a reactor vendor is a good way to gain a relatively focused view of the nuclear industry. More than likely you will work on a specific area of a specific type of plant, and not gain very much exposure to how the rest of the plant works. If you want to work in plant management, you would be better off trying to work directly for a utility at a plant.
I worked for Westinghouse as an engineer for 4 years before changing jobs to go work at a plant in order to get an SRO license FYI. Westinghouse is a great company to work for, but SRO is not an option there because they don't operate any plants. From what I've heard, Commanche is serious about the APWR, and I'm sure there is a ton of work to be done to secure the NRC final design approval over the next couple years so you really can't go wrong, especially if you're looking for a stepping stone job.
Question 2: An SRO would help you greatly get into a consulting position at a nuclear-focused company, however, SROs aren't all over begging for jobs, so companies can't expect applicants to have a license...
Just a quick note, which I'm sure you'll get ALOT more of in upcoming posts - If you ever intend to get a license, don't ever refer to it as "punching a ticket." A utility invests alot of time and money in training a license candidate. Unless they hire you for a non-shift / ops job with the intention getting you an SRO Cert (Different from a license), they will not want to pay to send you to class so that you can do a year on shift and then leave - its not worth it to them and there are many people who want that job for that job, not for the next one.
Question 3) I know people who have gone from a utility to the NRC, but I don't know anyone who has done the opposite. This in now way means that it can't be done, or even that it is uncommon.
I hope this helps, if you want any more info feel free to PM me
