Current NEO looking for a different career

[tucker0104]

I am a current NEO. I have been a NEO for about 7 years and am just getting tired of shift work and outages combined together. Seems like I am always tired at work and home. I am just kind of wondering what my options are. Are there any good outage jobs that pay well for a previous RO? Anybody know of anything near Charlotte or Rock Hill that would be comparable to what I do now? I have looked at a couple data servers (apple and google) and a critical facilities technician. Anybody know of any chemical refineries or anything else out this way. I talked to several outage guys my past outage and got really interested in their schedule. The idea of working 4 months out of the year sounds pretty good. Thanks for the suggestions.

[retired nuke]

Do a search for refuel / reactor technician here on NW - y'know, the GE / W folks that come in and take apart the reactor and move the fuel. There have been some posts about it - and some SMEs are here too.

Don't expect to make the money you are making now in 4 months of outage work. That life on the road ain't as easy as it looks - living expenses, hotels, sleep deprivation, etc are a part of it. Being away from home wears you out.

Sounds like you are not challenged where you work. Start working on a degree if you don't already have one. If you have a degree, look around your company job postings - Engineer, project coordinator - those are challenging.

OPs is mostly shift work. Even in other companies - fossil, chemical, etc. Even load dispatcher is shift work. Power generation is a 24 hr a day job.

You didn't mention your background - Navy? College? brother in law? - all of these can help with changing the path of your career.

Good luck

[tucker0104]

8 years navy nuke electrician/EWS. Thomas edison degree. About to start working . Duke enrgy very rarely lets operators transfer out of operations. That is the main reason I am looking at leaving the largest energy company in America. Once I have my house paid off, I will not need to make more than 40-50K a year. I would much rather find a job that I do not hate getting out of bed for and make less than to continue working for a job I am not a fan of. I just threw outage jobs out there. I do not have a clue how much they make. I know valve workers make $35 something so I was just figuring someone with a RO licesne could make $50-$75? $75/ hour, 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, for 4 months is $85K.

[dea]

As HouseDad said the time away from home and the long hours are tough, tougher than I thought they would be.
Pay is all over the place depending on supply and demand.
Jobs are hit and miss, be aware that you could go a long time without work since the number of outages varies from year to year.

[tucker0104]

I might just have my girlfriend travel with me. Maybe see if I can't get her a job in RP. Their job isn't that tough.

[retired nuke]

I might just have my girlfriend travel with me. Maybe see if I can't get her a job in RP. Their job isn't that tough.

neither is valve turner...

[Contract SRO]

I might just have my girlfriend travel with me. Maybe see if I can't get her a job in RP. Their job isn't that tough.

I have been on the road for almost 5 years.  As you might figure out I had and SRO License.  I also had 25 years of experience in licensed responsibilities.  I generally have longer term contracts so I get to have a home or an apartment which makes being on the road much easier to enjoy.  I will tell you that I have not had opportunity to see very many contractors that had an RO license rather than and SRO that their RO license was the key to them getting the job.  Remember the KEY WORDS are very many.

I can tell you that there are a number of SRO's that are contracting and not making much if any more per hour ($75.00) than the numbers you quoted.  A number of SRO's make more than $75.00 hr.  I am not trying to persuade you away from what you are hoping to find, but I will tell you that you need to be well informed before you develop unrealistic ideas and perceptions.

[GLW]

.....I was debating going to license class to get off of shift work and then promptly putting my two week notice in when I complete license class......

Too late,....

Based on this,....

I am a current NEO working for Duke Energy near Charlotte. I have been a NEO for about 6 years ......

and this,....

8 years navy nuke electrician/EWS. Thomas edison degree. About to start working on my MBA......

Duke Energy already knows who you are and may not cotton up to the notion of investing in a licensing class for someone who has already advertised they're going to bail once they complete it,....

And we wonder why the cache of being an ex-Navy nuke glitters less and less as the years trudge on,....

I'm just saying,....

[Fermi2]

Nothing like putting a target on your back!!

When I first hired in as an NLO at my former plant I received a call from my parents saying Davis Besse had been trying to get a hold of me for 2 weeks so they could offer me a job. (I had just moved from California to Michigan.)

I really wanted the job at the Bess as I had grown up somewhat near there and it was a bit closer to home. I did call them and ended up turning the job down. As much as I wanted to work there I felt it wrong to work at a place for 3 weeks then leave. In fact I told The guy from the Bess would you really want a guy working there who spent 3 weeks at his last employer (who by the way had relocated me) then bolted?

BTW getting an RO License and leaving will do yu no good, especially in todays environment which will be flush with Kewaunee, Crystal River and San Onofre SROs.

[tucker0104]

Not sure of what I am going to do, just wanting to see what else is out there. If I go to license class, I might love it. Who knows... Thanks for all the help and input.

[Content1]

I might just have my girlfriend travel with me. Maybe see if I can't get her a job in RP. Their job isn't that tough.

Those who can do something, do it; if not, become an RP.  All we do is walk around with a meter and wipe some cotton papers on the floor.  Even trained monkeys can do that.  Luckily that would be cruelty to animals, so RP's are safe.

[RDTroja]

Those who can do something, do it; if not, become an RP.  All we do is walk around with a meter and wipe some cotton papers on the floor.  Even trained monkeys can do that.  Luckily that would be cruelty to animals, so RP's are safe.

If you truly believe that, do yourself and everyone else a favor and get another job. Preferably out of the Nuclear Power industry. And not teaching... the next generation already has enough problems.

[tucker0104]

If you truly believe that, do yourself and everyone else a favor and get another job. Preferably out of the Nuclear Power industry. And not teaching... the next generation already has enough problems.

Thank you for your invaluable opinion RDTroja. You show your intelligence with every post you make.