Are initial operators getting older?

[Cycoticpenguin]

I dont know demographics nationwide, but at my plant NLO's are pretty old, relatively speaking to myself. For example, me and one other dude are FAR and again the youngest in the plant. In my class and the class before, the average age is 33. That seems to be higher then what Id expect it to be for NLO's. The next closest person to me and this other dude is an ILO candidate thats 28. Rest of his class is in their 40's/50's. Few ro's are young 30's, rest are pushing 40.

After my intial question, does anyone know where I can find demographics for operators by any chance? Dont really care, just curious.

[RDTroja]

I dont know demographics nationwide, but at my plant NLO's are pretty old, relatively speaking to myself. For example, me and one other dude are FAR and again the youngest in the plant. In my class and the class before, the average age is 33. That seems to be higher then what Id expect it to be for NLO's. The next closest person to me and this other dude is an ILO candidate thats 28. Rest of his class is in their 40's/50's. Few ro's are young 30's, rest are pushing 40.

After my intial question, does anyone know where I can find demographics for operators by any chance? Dont really care, just curious.

That's just harsh. Be careful or they will all gang up on you and beat you with their canes. Whippersnapper. 

I see you still haven't located that spell check button.

[Cycoticpenguin]

That's just harsh. Be careful or they will all gang up on you and beat you with their canes. Whippersnapper.  

I see you still haven't located that spell check button.

haha, I really dont care what age the person relieving me is. Merely an observation! I have an inquisitive mind, so yeah.

Im NOT seeing what I misspelled btw.

edit: fwiw, one of the operators we hired is 46, and the average of my class is 34. (we got bored in class )

[MacGyver]

I dont know demographics nationwide, but at my plant NLO's are pretty old, relatively speaking to myself. For example, me and one other dude are FAR and again the youngest in the plant. In my class and the class before, the average age is 33. That seems to be higher then what Id expect it to be for NLO's. The next closest person to me and this other dude is an ILO candidate thats 28. Rest of his class is in their 40's/50's. Few ro's are young 30's, rest are pushing 40.

After my intial question, does anyone know where I can find demographics for operators by any chance? Dont really care, just curious.

I believe we have discussed this one before.

But, allow me to elucidate for you.  Yes.  We are getting older.  A lot of NO hiring occurred for approximately 15 years.  Actually right after Voglte 1&2 finished up.

Plants are being smart about their hiring needs.  Yes they are all behind.  Yes they value the older folks.  We have a maturity you younger bucks have yet to run into.  But, you will someday.  We all hope anyway.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.  Learn everything you can from these "Old Dudes".  I did.  You can too.

And, one more thing.  TVA about 6 years ago suspended all early retirements.  So, you can rest assured that someone in management is already on the case.

[Cycoticpenguin]

Granted, most are simply punctuation errors, but they would still be caught by spell check. Grammar and the use of pronouns is another issue.

I understand that the 'texting generation' doesn't care about punctuation, spelling, and complete sentences but if you are going to prosper where (by your own calculation) most of your peers and virtually all your supervisors (i.e. those that can influence your career) are older than you, just realize that they do care. To those who learned how to spell and punctuate, those that either can't or choose not to write properly look ignorant or sloppy or both. You don't want to look like that.

Or, maybe you do, I don't know.

Hmm... i can tlk lik this if u wnt. my spllchckr dsnt crct grmr errrs.

If I leave off an apostrophe or comma, it doesnt mean I dont know how to speak appropriately. I use proper diction and mostly correct grammar. Always have, always will type like that. Im not posting a resume here, Im asking questions. dont and don't. You get my point regardless. Its an online discussion, not a formal critique.

The age of my supervisors was not the question. My older, "more mature" classmates are the one coming to me for advice and help in class. Im willing to learn, but its going to be a while before their wisdom comes into any kind of meaning (if they even pass). When that day comes, Im more then willing to sit and listen!


and for what it's worth, if you are going to critique my grammar, Id appreciate it if you spoke with 100% accuracy as well. Petty? Maybe, but its pretty much the same thing.

[Incorrect sentence structure with implied noun]Granted, most are simply punctuation errors[semi colon, not comma when connecting more then one independent clause], but they would still be caught by spell check. [Incorrect sentence structure, implied noun again]Grammar and the use of pronouns is another issue.

I understand that the [improper usage of apostrophes. Use quotations]'texting generation' doesn't care about punctuation, spelling, and complete sentences[you forgot your semi colon] but if you are going to prosper where (by your own calculation)[you forgot your comma] most of your peers and virtually all your supervisors [you forgot your comma] (i.e. those that can influence your career)[another comma] are older than you, just realize that they do care. To those who learned how to spell and punctuate, those that either can't or choose not to write properly look ignorant [separate points with commas] or sloppy or both. You don't want to look like that.

Or, maybe you do, I don't know.

[Cherenkov]

The average age in commercial as compared to Navy is going to be generally higher, obviously, but as far as the industry as a whole, it is hard to tell. I think the average age is coming down, finally, now that we are bringing in younger people from the Navy and Engineering. I have seen people as young as 24 go through as an instant SRO and as old as 50. On average though, recently, license classes I have seen have been in the early 30s.

-C

[Cycoticpenguin]

The average age in commercial as compared to Navy is going to be generally higher, obviously, but as far as the industry as a whole, it is hard to tell. I think the average age is coming down, finally, now that we are bringing in younger people from the Navy and Engineering. I have seen people as young as 24 go through as an instant SRO and as old as 50. On average though, recently, license classes I have seen have been in the early 30s.

-C

It may be a regional thing. People trying to get out of their other plants (75% of hires here are from chem plants or other operational type jobs) and get a better job I suppose . Not too many navy guys here either o.o

[ToadSuck]

I am 30 and a trainer. The next youngest person in my office of about 40 people is about 44 and most are within 5 years of retiring. I was really surprised to get out of the Navy and I have "0" contemporaries...

However, for me that just means a lot of upward mobility if I learn from all the "oldies" and work hard.

[Cycoticpenguin]

Get yourself a good book on writing in English. None of those examples you cited are wrong.

Thanks for reinforcing my point, though. You just don't care unless you get to argue about it. That will take you far in the nuclear industry. Good luck with it. It has frequently been pointed out that more than a few peolpe in hiring positions visit this site and read the forum. Your first impression is being made, like it or not.

Im already hired, and have made my first impression where it matters, with whom it matters. Thanks for caring  All the examples I cited werent wrong, and I will prove it if you wish to be stubborn. PM me if you wish to continue this conversation.


DOC -> Yeah thats how Im taking it. A LOT of people are going to be getting out here, so I have a lot of room to grow quickly. Whats the average age of NLO's you are hiring?

[Sun Dog]

The best part of this thread is certainly not the infantile bickering about 9th grade level English language fundamentals.

For me, I like the title "Are initial operators getting older?" because it seems like a simple enough question.

I am not sure what an initial operator is, but I am sure that whomever they are, if they are not getting older, they are dead.  So, I really hope they are getting older, unless, they are better off dead.

[Fermi2]

I believe we have discussed this one before.

But, allow me to elucidate for you.  Yes.  We are getting older.  A lot of NO hiring occurred for approximately 15 years.  Actually right after Voglte 1&2 finished up.

Plants are being smart about their hiring needs.  Yes they are all behind.  Yes they value the older folks.  We have a maturity you younger bucks have yet to run into.  But, you will someday.  We all hope anyway.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.  Learn everything you can from these "Old Dudes".  I did.  You can too.

And, one more thing.  TVA about 6 years ago suspended all early retirements.  So, you can rest assured that someone in management is already on the case.

TVA did no such thing. Anyone with a vested retirement can retire at anytime. What TVA did was raise the age at which they'd assist paying medical during retirement.

[Cycoticpenguin]

I am not sure what an initial operator is

AO, EO, NLO, NEO, AMO, MO, PPO, etc etc. It seems the age of persons at my plant is a bit higher then I was expecting it to be. (I was also expecting ex navy to be the majority... suprise!!!).

[HydroDave63]

AO, EO, NLO, NEO, AMO, MO, PPO, etc etc. It seems the age of persons at my plant is a bit higher then I was expecting it to be. (I was also expecting ex navy to be the majority... suprise!!!).

There once was a time when the idea of a competent 6-and-out Navy Nuke failing either a piss test or a POSS test, MMPI or an interview would be considered science fiction. Now that NF has changed from "Nuclear Field" to "No Failures", plenty of sad pandas and fan-room commandos wash out in the hiring process.

[darlingetoile]

Well I just got hired as an NLO trainee, and I'm 23.  I haven't started yet, so I can only comment that from the description others have given it sounds like you could be right.  However, 34 isn't really "old", in my books. 

The workforce as a whole everywhere is getting older though, so you have to expect the same to be even more the case for jobs where you are required to complete a few years of school + OTJ Training.  Candidates are going to be a minimum of 18 when they graduate highschool + post secondary ~2-4 years making them at least 20 going into the program.  Then consider what the employers look for in terms of job experience, and you'll soon get to an average age of 34.  Median age would give you a better idea of the actual demographic in your class - since an average age of 34 could mean you have a lot of older people and a lot of younger people - you might not even have anyone in the class who is 34, but it's hard to say using that statisic.  But not that it matters anyway, I'm sure you're right.

[MacGyver]

TVA did no such thing. Anyone with a vested retirement can retire at anytime. What TVA did was raise the age at which they'd assist paying medical during retirement.

BZ you are wrong.  I said Early Retirement's.  Yes, there WAS a program that allowed Early Retirements.  This program was Ceased, iirc.  And, they did the other things you have mentioned.




You might not have any idea because it was before you came on.

[ski2313]

BZ you are wrong.

Uh oh..... them is fightin' words!!!   

[Fermi2]

BZ you are wrong.  I said Early Retirement's.  Yes, there WAS a program that allowed Early Retirements.  This program was Ceased, iirc.  And, they did the other things you have mentioned.




You might not have any idea because it was before you came on.

Incorrect. I've been there 6 years. I could have retired 3 years ago if I wanted. Prior to me getting there they had guys under the 80 Point plan, once you had 80 points you could go regardless of age, though IIRC there was a lower deck on the age.

The only freeze they've ever put on early retirement was the restrictions they enacted about 4 years ago.

[IRLFAN]

There once was a time when the idea of a competent 6-and-out Navy Nuke failing either a piss test or a POSS test, MMPI or an interview would be considered science fiction. Now that NF has changed from "Nuclear Field" to "No Failures", plenty of sad pandas and fan-room commandos wash out in the hiring process.

True for maintenance also.  I was shocked at some of the Navy nukes we recently turned down after interviews.  I had a hard time believing these people ever made it through training.  They wouldn't have in the 70's.

[Cycoticpenguin]

True for maintenance also.  I was shocked at some of the Navy nukes we recently turned down after interviews.  I had a hard time believing these people ever made it through training.  They wouldn't have in the 70's.

Im having a difficult time understanding what they did wrong in their interviews. training, easy or not, still seems to be a little revered. Its like the doors open, but they are tripping on their way through it or something. when my buddy told me they didnt hire a nuke, I was blown away O.o

[Cherenkov]

You would be amazed at what people do wrong in interviews. Some people simply don't prepare, and when you aren't ready to answer a question such as "Tell me about a time you led a team to solve a problem, include success and failures along the way...," it shows. Additionally, I have seen Navy nukes with the "I'm a Navy nuke so I am entitled to this job" mentality. Those are just 2 examples of a long list of mistakes that I have seen.

-C

[Cycoticpenguin]

You would be amazed at what people do wrong in interviews. Some people simply don't prepare, and when you aren't ready to answer a question such as "Tell me about a time you led a team to solve a problem, include success and failures along the way...," it shows. Additionally, I have seen Navy nukes with the "I'm a Navy nuke so I am entitled to this job" mentality. Those are just 2 examples of a long list of mistakes that I have seen.

-C

good ole brainwashing

[OldHP]

good ole brainwashing

You would be amazed at what people do wrong in interviews.  I have seen Navy nukes with the "I'm a Navy nuke so I am entitled to this job" mentality. -C

It has existed all along, my first experience with it was a job candidate in the '70s who said just that, but it does seem to be more previlent today.

[HydroDave63]

Im having a difficult time understanding what they did wrong in their interviews. training, easy or not, still seems to be a little revered. Its like the doors open, but they are tripping on their way through it or something. when my buddy told me they didnt hire a nuke, I was blown away O.o

flubbing the interview is a very small part of it. What they did wrong was to stay comfortable in the "Two-five-and-survive NF means No Failures" complacency zone fostered during their time in blue camo. Over the years, when I've encountered recent ex-nukes at interviews (either as competitors or interviewees) I steer the chit-chat towards things any competent ex-nuke should know (observing OPSEC of course). MMs that have no concept of the enthalpy number of 600# steam within an order of magnitude, EMs that can't explain a VAR or synchroscope, ETs that can't explain reactivity or neutron yield of fission can just Super-Size my order and make way for the next applicant.