NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => Navy Nuke => Navy:Getting Out => Topic started by: NickPM567 on May 02, 2010, 09:51
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This is a question for nukes who have gotten out and are in the civilian industry. I am a nuke ET2 getting out at my 6 year point. Long story short I am going to go to college using the new GI bill for the next 2-5 years depending on the school and degree program. Most likely I will have an Electrical or Nuclear Engineering degree paired with the Excelsior Nuclear Technology degree. My question is, will the several years I take to go to school look bad to employers if I decide to stay in the Nuclear Field? I know this is a difficult question because the degree and GPA can change what job I could even pursue. Thank you to any one who takes the time to answer my question.
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I don't think it'll look bad at all! Lets see... Suppose I have an opening for a direct SRO, and my choices are a RO coming directly out of the navy with the TESC degree, or someone who has those qulaifications, plus a EE or NE, but has been to school the last 4 years.
In my opinion, you'll be fine, and will have more doors available to you, ie plant engineering.
Best of luck with school...
Bill
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This is a question for nukes who have gotten out and are in the civilian industry. I am a nuke ET2 getting out at my 6 year point. Long story short I am going to go to college using the new GI bill for the next 2-5 years depending on the school and degree program. Most likely I will have an Electrical or Nuclear Engineering degree paired with the Excelsior Nuclear Technology degree. My question is, will the several years I take to go to school look bad to employers if I decide to stay in the Nuclear Field? I know this is a difficult question because the degree and GPA can change what job I could even pursue. Thank you to any one who takes the time to answer my question.
I don't see how they could look down on your pursuing education in the very field you hope to work in. If anything, this makes you more competitive, as the above poster said. Good luck on completing your degree. Stepping into a real physics class can be a humbling experience for some nukes. Be open-minded and eager to learn, rather than assuming you know it all going in the door.
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Most employers should look favorably on it. I did something similar to what you are doing back in 2005 (ex navy nuke, just out of college), and when I was doing a job search, there was one employer who lowballed me. I wasn't going to take the job unless they offered me a WHOLE lot of money. It wasn't a good fit for me, but I was still curious, so I asked the HR person, and she said because I had not been working in nuclear for the last 3 years I would take a lower amount. It was the only time it happened, and the HR department there seemed unproffessional in other ways I'm not going to go into. The HR rep I talked to seemed flighty and was very young. I would say you probably don't want to work for a place that looks at you going after your degree in any kind of negative light. Doesn't say a whole lot for that organization as a whole. Every other company I talked to thought it was a positive to have a degree on top of experience and I've been payed much more than others in 2 different jobs in part due to my degree, and it isn't even related to nuclear power. Most people love to see that degree, more at some places, less at others. What really seems to turn them on is if you have everything they are looking for PLUS the degree. It seems to be icing on the cake as long as all or most of your other ducks are in a row, and it may get you the job or a higher rate of pay while others may not get the job or will be at a lower rate of pay. But not always....
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Thank you very much everybody for your input.