Finally I am in!!!

[CobraII4me]

Hello everyone.

After two years on a waiting list for seat in a training program for radiation safety at my local community college, I am now in classes and am working toward a certificate in preparation for a career as radiation technician.  My spouse also is in the program as well.

What is the real state of the industry as far as getting employment when we are done.  What will give us a easier track to get good work when our internship is over?

I would especially appreciate any insights for securing DOE lab work, or for that matter other facilities in general with some comparisons and general expectations we should encounter after graduation.

Thanks, CobraII4me

[nukengr]

I'm on the engineering side of the house so I'm not going to be helpful relating this specifically to RT or labs like SRS ORNL. For the nuclear power industry though, I don't think anybody "knows" what it's going to do yet. But, in general,

If they keep building new nukes they'll be hiring in multiple fields when you get finished (engineering, RT, HP, etc).

If Fukushima kills new nukes and requires a bunch of upgrades to the existing ones they'll be hiring when you get finished.

Most likely the next 10-20 years is going to be a combination of new nukes and mandated upgrades to deal with a much longer station blackout. This means a lot of companies competing for qualified people across the country at all experience levels. You might have to move around a bit until you have that experienced glow to you but the jobs are there.

If they shut them all down tomorrow . . . they'll be hiring when you get finished. Decomissioning will carry you from new hire till retirement. Seriously doubt this will happen as it would require a major shift back to coal/natural gas or some new power source.

Hope you can see the pattern. Good luck.

[CobraII4me]

Thanks.  I live in the shadow of the INL DOE facility out west, and although the life of a mobile tech has a bit of a $ appeal, being a house tech would be better suited for a stable family situation.  In coursework we are up to the 1_08 chapter of the radiation safety DOE manual.  I am hopeful that once the program is over the 17 of us in our program will have opportunities to get some serious work.  Not a lot going on in the economy elsewhere right now.  The lab out here just went through another local rounds of layoffs so a lot of uncertainty is the feeling I get from people here.

[justme]

I am a road tech in Radiation Protection.  Lots of work now for outage techs, there is a shortage.  But it is seasonal work.  With both you and your spouse working outages, you can make good money and have lots of time off.  There are also going to be lots of house jobs available in the near future.  Many techs are going to retire in the next 3 to 6 years.  Only thing with this is that many places will not hire husband and wife in the same dept. 
My husband and I  worked for a while as road techs, then he took a permanent job at a nuclear plant and I did limited travel, plus worked as a outage tech at the plant he was at.  All depends on your wants and needs.

Either way, there is alot of work in both nuclear and DOE.

[nukengr]

The lab out here just went through another local rounds of layoffs so a lot of uncertainty is the feeling I get from people here.

I would put money on this being the norm for a couple of years. Both the plants and labs have their uncertainty right now. The DOE labs are praying congress is going to continue to fund them. The power industry is dealing with mergers and the layoffs that come with them. Neither will be anything anyone on our side of the fence can control.

[Fermi2]

I would put money on this being the norm for a couple of years. Both the plants and labs have their uncertainty right now. The DOE labs are praying congress is going to continue to fund them. The power industry is dealing with mergers and the layoffs that come with them. Neither will be anything anyone on our side of the fence can control.

Where are you employed?

[JsonD13]

It would be my guess that you wouldnt qualify for ANSI 18.1 or 3.1 upon completion of your school.  Thus you would be a junior HP tech.  If you dont mind where you live you might be able to end up with a house job, but I would bet that you and your wife are going to be on the road for some amount of time.  From what I hear its a big tougher to find work as a junior but the jobs are still out there.

Jason

[nukengr]

Where are you employed?

Progress/Duke at the moment but SRS for a few years before that.

[Woolf22]

I graduated two years ago from the same Technical College in Idaho. That year they doubled the class size and really saturated the local job market at the INL. Luckily I took an internship at a commercial plant and have been traveling since. My advice to you would be to take the DOE blinders off and seriously think about hitting the road for awhile. Sooner or later they will be hiring again at the INL but there will be many techs with more experience than you that will get those jobs. Good luck!

[Hankrearden10]

Get out.  I did the same thing.  The local tech. college mislead us into believing there would be a demand because of retirement.  They obviously just wanted tuition.  It's hard to ever get a straight answer about opportunities.  I did an internship at a nuke plant.  Some of the most frightened, angry, backstabbing people you ever want to know.  The few people who got hired had a daddy, union hack get them in.

[jams723]

Get out.  I did the same thing.  The local tech. college mislead us into believing there would be a demand because of retirement.  They obviously just wanted tuition.  It's hard to ever get a straight answer about opportunities.  I did an internship at a nuke plant.  Some of the most frightened, angry, backstabbing people you ever want to know.  The few people who got hired had a daddy, union hack get them in.

Really? I have been in the commercial industry for 20 years and worked at four different commercial plants for three companies. Other that the typical crap you see in any company I never saw anyone as bad as you claim. We hire on merit and performance not who's your daddy!

[MacGyver]

Get out.  I did the same thing.  The local tech. college mislead us into believing there would be a demand because of retirement.  They obviously just wanted tuition.  It's hard to ever get a straight answer about opportunities.  I did an internship at a nuke plant.  Some of the most frightened, angry, backstabbing people you ever want to know.  The few people who got hired had a daddy, union hack get them in.

Bitter much?

[HydroDave63]

The few people who got hired had a daddy, union hack get them in.

Hankrearend, was that by chance the Exelon system?

[Fermi2]

Get out.  I did the same thing.  The local tech. college mislead us into believing there would be a demand because of retirement.  They obviously just wanted tuition.  It's hard to ever get a straight answer about opportunities.  I did an internship at a nuke plant.  Some of the most frightened, angry, backstabbing people you ever want to know.  The few people who got hired had a daddy, union hack get them in.

I have yet to see that anywhere I have been.

[nu-nuker]

Man, I am trying so hard to get in the spring outages in 2012 as a Decon Tech.