Graduating with Nuclear Tech Associates and NUCP certification

[nkoenig34]

I will be graduating in Spring of 2013 with an Associates Degree in Nuclear Technology and NUCP certification.  I do not have any experience in the nuclear field and am trying to prepare myself to the best of my ability to succeed after graduation.  My school has not been the best at providing possible internships, even though it is part of our curriculum for the final semester.  Can anyone provide me some info on where to possibly look for these internships?  I heard that alot of plants offer them in summer.  Also I was wondering what are some steps I should be taking now to make sure that when I graduate, I can jump into the field.  I am considering working outages, for I have heard that it can be hard to get into a plant without experience.  If working outages is my best option, should I be applying for them now?  I've read that alot of plants do not post opening until closer to the outage date.
Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated

[MacGyver]

I will be graduating in Spring of 2013 with an Associates Degree in Nuclear Technology and NUCP certification.  I do not have any experience in the nuclear field and am trying to prepare myself to the best of my ability to succeed after graduation.  My school has not been the best at providing possible internships, even though it is part of our curriculum for the final semester.  Can anyone provide me some info on where to possibly look for these internships?  I heard that alot of plants offer them in summer.  Also I was wondering what are some steps I should be taking now to make sure that when I graduate, I can jump into the field.  I am considering working outages, for I have heard that it can be hard to get into a plant without experience.  If working outages is my best option, should I be applying for them now?  I've read that alot of plants do not post opening until closer to the outage date.
Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated

SKIP the internship.  Go directly to finding a job doing anything at the plant and use the union to bid for open slots as they emerge.

But,,, hey that's just me.   

[NukeLDO]

As someone who recently completed a job search in the industry, I'd tell you to look on the individual utility's job boards.  Duke in particular was always advertising a number of internship positions, as were a few other companies.  If the school can't help you find the internship, you'll have to do the legwork yourself.  Utilizing the company's RSS feed or building your own search engine filter on the job boards makes it pretty easy to get notified when something with a key word you're looking for comes up.  In your case, the key words are "internship or intern."

[nkoenig34]

Thank you for your advice.  With my qualifications do you think i will be hired to work outages?

[MacGyver]

Thank you for your advice.  With my qualifications do you think i will be hired to work outages?

Call the nice folks at

and ask them those questions.

Or just PM Eric_Bartlett and ask him directly.

They are better suited to answer your "outage" questions than I ever will be able too.