RCTQS Experience?

[strudel]

What's RCTQS like in Norfolk? Interested to know since I may be spending 5-6 months there at the Norfolk Shipyard.

HR has said that it's easy and uncomplicated -- basically just a certification that is required by the government, but, from searching on the forums, others disagree. Hopefully some people who have been there recently can chime in. Are the days long and grueling? Is the material hard to understand? I have read on here the tests are brutal...

Does RCTQS or Article 108 training hold any weight outside of the Navy? I understand Radcon is Radcon, but is it valuable to the private sector?

Obviously, I have asked HR, but they seem to just want to make the job sound appealing.

Thanks in advance.

[Glowing Green]

It's been 8 years since I finished RCTQS, and no it is not a walk in the park.  The training is very valuable outside of the NAVSEA realm.  It really and truly is some of the best training in the industry.  It most certainly holds weight and is very well known throughout the industry.  Value your training it will teach you good survival skills outside of NAVSEA.

[GLW]

Does RCTQS or Article 108 training hold any weight outside of the Navy? I understand Radcon is Radcon, but is it valuable to the private sector?......

Yes, at least 1:1 for techs counting time,...

Plus the intangibles,...

[MMM]

The downside is that it's 5-6 months in Portsmouth, VA, which is one of the worst places I've ever been.

[strudel]

Interesting. Good to know. Hopefully I won't be one of the burn outs.

I've heard alright things about Virginia.

[Marlin]

Interesting. Good to know. Hopefully I won't be one of the burn outs.

I've heard alright things about Virginia.

Virginia yes, Portsmouth probably not. It's been a while since I was there (73) but the Marine guards were shot at about once a year, I had a battery ripped out of my car, and I do mean ripped they did not undo the cables from the posts. There was even a shooting in one of the machine shops in the yard. Newport News is much nicer across the way in Hampton. Things have changed but I hear not that much.

The downside is that it's 5-6 months in Portsmouth, VA, which is one of the worst places I've ever been.

[strudel]

Whelp...

Remember me fondly, boys.

[radcoon]

I attended RCTQS in 2011-2012 and am still working at Newport News. I can't give you any info about outside NAVSEA, but the more experienced folk already did that.

"HR has said that it's easy and uncomplicated -- basically just a certification that is required by the government, but, from searching on the forums, others disagree.  Hopefully some people who have been there recently can chime in.
Are the days long and grueling?
Is the material hard to understand?
I have read on here the tests are brutal...

The school is not overly hard; however, it was designed for navy nukes and so for them it is really just another Navy qual school. Lecture, checkouts, practicals and tests. Speaking from a non-military point of view, I felt it was like a sophomore or junior level semester of college where there was only 1 subject. On the other hand, its 8 hours of learning and studying a day THAT YOU ARE GETTING PAID FOR. If you need extra help the teachers are really great about extra study time after hours and on saturdays (not sure if you can get paid for that.)
The days are only long and grueling if you let boredom creep in. Your class will probably have 6-12 other people in it; spend some time getting to know your classmates and make the learning fun.
The material can be hard at times. The two things to remember are: On the tests, rewording the answers is often a no no. Verbatim answers were waaaaay more important than I was used to in college. Second, If you struggle with practicals (practice jobs) have a teacher or fellow students practice with you till you see all the different ways things can go wrong so you know what to watch for.

Portsmouth has gotten marginally better, but then I live across the water and only had to park on the base for school. It can get pretty scary at night there, so make some good friends as soon as you can (classmates from Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Newport News Shipbuilding probably live nearby and might be people you would want to hang out with on weekends)

Good luck and welcome to the business.

[SloGlo]

Does RCTQS or Article 108 training hold any weight outside of the Navy? I understand Radcon is Radcon, but is it valuable to the private sector?

befour there was n.r.r.p.t. there was article 108. it's old school, but very solid. pay attention, study well, and you should due fine.