So, in 2004, I thought I knew everything I needed to know about nuclear power after gladly accepting my honorable discharge from the Navy and literally running down the pier to get married, go to Old Dominion for chemistry, and go "live the dream"...6 years later, I find myself back in the game as a rusty (and kind of nervous) RCT at Hanford waiting for the Obama money to run out...what happened during those 6 years of darkness?...a divorce, two misdemeanors on my record, no degree from ODU (still have good standing though), and a laundry list of dead end jobs. I am seemingly one of the very few people here at Hanford ECSTATIC that I have been given this second chance.
Since I've seen the light, I'm hell-bent on making this stint here worthwhile for a re-entry into a career in nuclear. I've received lots of "advice" here in just a few short weeks, but would like some other ideas as well. The plan is to stay here as long as the contract keeps me here, try to earn a NRRPT certification, get my darn degree, and try to make the jump to the commercial world as an operator or in radcon. Any advice? For a guy with a ton of credits combined with the Navy nuke gig, what's the best step for a BS degree? Excelsior? Thomas Edison? PSU?...ODU again?...or should I just stay local and get an engineering degree from Wash State? Anyway, any ideas would be greatly appreciated...