Opportunity to network with Exelon executives

[Nuke_Janitor]

Hello,

I currently hold a BS in Chemical Engineering and I was recently accepted in a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering program at a university in the midwest. I shall begin school in september 2011.
I am not a native English speaker, so I will be glad if you point out improper usage of the language.
In a few weeks I shall have the opportunity to meet several alumni of this university, some of whom are currently executives at Exelon. Upon suggestion of my future academic adviser I decided to hand out resumes to these alumni with the objective of obtaining an internship for the summer of 2012.
I would greatly appreciate any advice or words of wisdom on resume preparation for this occasion, especially what aspects of my education and experience should be emphasized.
Advice on other topics pertinent to the nuclear industry is also welcome, but I read extensively through the plethora of posts already available and you would most likely be repeating things written over and over.
However, if you wish to bestow advice specific to this situation I am eager to learn what you have to say.

Thank you for the time you took to read this post and your kind consideration.

[Cycoticpenguin]

BEST SCREEN NAME EvER!!!!

[Nuke_Janitor]

Thank you Charlie Murphy for your kinds words and karma point.
To be perfectly honest I got the inspiration for my name screen from a post by Broadzilla, to whom I am indebted for this.

[Fermi2]

Thank you Charlie Murphy for your kinds words and karma point.
To be perfectly honest I got the inspiration for my name screen from a post by Broadzilla, to whom I am indebted for this.

LMAO thanks, best laugh I've had in months!! It's nice knowing I inspired a young up and coming nuke!!

As for your post, you did well.

[tr]

Try to learn as much about Exelon as you can ahead of time (what kinds of plants do they have, what major projects are they undertaking, where are their challenges, etc.).  Be able to give an answer if asked "Great, where do you want to intern?" 

Ask them for any advice they have for people in your situation (just entering grad school).  Be able to say where you think your ultimate work goal is (gettting a PhD, working in industry, working for a reactor vendor, working for a regulator, working for a research lab, etc.).

One piece of advice I give all new engineers is to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam as soon as you can.  Depending on where you end up, you may work for a company that values a Professional Engineer's license.  The longer you are out of school, the more difficult this exam becomes (as it will cover areas you haven't touched since college).

Best of luck!

[Nuke_Janitor]

Thank you Broadzilla for your appreciation of my post and the karma point.

A big thank you to tr for your precious advice and the time you took to write it.

To answer the first prospective question, ideally I would like to intern at a nuclear power plant, but if I am not mistaken, Exelon has several types of internship opportunities available. If that is indeed the case I would also welcome the opportunity to intern at the corporate headquarters, performing more administrative duties.

Concerning the second query I do not have sufficient data, knowledge, and experience to be able to identify to some level of precision my ultimate work goal.
However, after reading a few books in the literature and searching the net, especially this web site, I came to the conclusion that I would be interested in the following professions:

1) Design and planning.
2) Working in the engineering department a few years and then move to operations, if this is recommended career path.
3) Working for a fuel producer using my chemical engineering background, albeit limited to a BS in ChemE and an internship at a chemical plant.

What are your opinions in regards to these three options? Do you think I could have the qualifications to pursue these career paths?

I think your advice to take the Fundamentals of Engineering is very wise and sound. However, I would to know if I should take it now, during my Master's studies or right after graduation.
Bear in mind that I hold a foreign BS and, although legally eligible to take the FE, I would have to pay a substantially higher admission fee and I would have to endure several bureaucratic processes that my peers with a US degree are not subject to, as I would not be either after graduating with my MSNE.
If I take the FE now I would start accruing experience years that count for my PE license working as a researcher for my university. In your opinion, is this benefit worth the bureaucratic hassle and higher fee?
Thank you again for your kind advice.
Happy Easter to everybody!

[tr]

All of your three longer term choices seem valid and reasonable with your background.

As far as the FE exam goes, now or after grad school is probably not much different.  The real problem comes in if you end up in a position where you need to take it and you're 20 years out of school. 

[Cycoticpenguin]

Thank you Charlie Murphy for your kinds words and karma point.
To be perfectly honest I got the inspiration for my name screen from a post by Broadzilla, to whom I am indebted for this.

I used to have the same screen name as you is why I enjoyed it so much (few years ago ) I think i was "Nuclear_Janitor" though IIRC.


lemme know how that "design and planning" schpiel comes out

[Nuke_Janitor]

I am sorry for the belated reply. I was travelling for work and manning 12+ hours shifts, 100% of the time in front of my PC and wanted to minimize non-work related contacts with computer screens.

@tr: thank you for the advice. Concerning the FE you confirmed my original opinion, i.e. now or right after grad school does not make that big of a difference, so I might as well do it once I have a US degree.

@Marssim: thank you for the information about the NRC, I did not know they were only considering entry level and highly experience and trained workers.
I am giving the NRC a thought and I think I will at least apply once I finish school.

@Charlie Murphy: we must have similar though processes...Interesting, to say the least. I'll let you know about design and planning.