NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => Getting in => Topic started by: makaylav on May 03, 2018, 05:23
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I am new to this site and figured id dive right in, fingers are crossed I can get some helpful answers on here.
I moved to SE, NM for my husband 2 years ago. Previously I worked in the Financial industry as a Loan officer and when I moved I got a temp job at WIPP as an Admin.
With it being a completely new industry my learning curve was huge, but I found out that I have a love for the nuclear industry. The other thing I found out was I hated the duties of being an admin and sitting at my desk all day. I was envious of the people doings operations outside and underground.
So I started talking to the RCT's and the Waste Handlers there and really sparked my interest in the field. So now I am looking at becoming an RCT, but have no training or formal education in the area other than picking the brains of the RCT's and reading the training material on my on time.
Luckily my employer let me take Rad Worker so I have a little background knowledge but its not enough to get on board with the department.
My question for you all is, what training can I do online to help me stand out and further myself. Unfortunately in this area nothing is offered in the colleges, so I am limited to online classes.
Any information is better then the little to none I have now, so please feel free to flood me with opinions, tips, and information! It is all appreciated :)
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Thomas Edison State University has an online degree program for a A.S. degree in radiation protection/health physics. That should be good enough to get you an entry level position at WIPP.
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First apply
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With no experience the only way to get hired is to know somebody. You can get a junior job with 0 experience but it is very hard to do. Usually you have to have some type of leverage. The best way to become an RCT without falling into it is to enroll into a local college that has an agreement with the local nuke plant / DOE site. For instance, Aiken Tech near SRS has a program that sends most of its graduates to DOE as a new RCT. Sometimes they will hire the entire class even if you haven't graduated yet! Depends on need. Some years graduates will languish for a year or more waiting for a job. Find out how close you are to a local college near WIPP before you go after Thomas Edison. Edison likes people who already have experience or a good bit of college already. But if you can't find a local, for sure give edison a try. The good thing about WIPP is it is in the middle of no where so if you were going to catch a break and get a JR job, WIPP could be the place. There may come a time when WIPP needs techs badly and if you are local you might squeeze your way into a JR job when they can't find anyone else. JR contract jobs are pretty rare for DOE sites but they do happen. Usually DOE sites hire senior RP contractors only and the new people they have recently hired house fill any other position. Knock down any doors you have with the RCTs on the site, especially RP managers or supervisors and ask them the best way to get a job as an RP at WIPP.
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Until you apply the answer is always no
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This is the information you seek:
https://aecom.jobs/carlsbad-nm/radiological-control-technician/D69BBBCF245B4427B15AF3AE8F243D51/job/?utm_campaign=Indeed&vs=1554&utm_medium=Job%20Aggregator&utm_source=Indeed-DE (https://aecom.jobs/carlsbad-nm/radiological-control-technician/D69BBBCF245B4427B15AF3AE8F243D51/job/?utm_campaign=Indeed&vs=1554&utm_medium=Job%20Aggregator&utm_source=Indeed-DE)
There are minimum requirements and preferred qualifications,...
there is a competency test,...
if you cannot pass a similitude of the competency test, you cannot make the minimum requirements,...
regardless of of any BS or AS you may have, years of experience, or who you may know,...
if you do not try, you cannot fail,...
or succeed,...
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I don't know if wipp is like SRS but I met about 10 of the 30 newbies they hired. All of them either had a parent working there or came from Aiken Tech. Unless they had nuclear power plant experience or previous DOE nobody else was hired. Maybe wipp is different. Can't hurt to apply but my first step would be find out what they "really" want unless you know someone. I guess you can apply for anything. I wanna be an astronaut!
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....... I wanna be an astronaut!
There are minimum requirements and preferred qualifications,...
So, What Does It Take to Be an Astronaut?
Astronaut requirements have changed with NASA's goals and missions. A pilot's license and engineering experience is still one route a person could take to becoming an astronaut, but it’s no longer the only one. Today, to be considered for an astronaut position, U.S. citizens must meet the following qualifications:
A bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics.
At least three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion OR at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft.
The ability to pass the NASA long-duration astronaut physical. Distant and near visual acuity must be correctable to 20/20 for each eye. The use of glasses is acceptable.
Astronaut candidates must also have skills in leadership, teamwork and communications.
NASA's Astronaut Selection Board reviews the applications (a record-breaking 18,300 in 2016) and assesses each candidate's qualifications. The board then invites about 120 of the most highly qualified candidates to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for interviews. Of those interviewed, about half are invited back for a second round. Once the final astronauts are selected, they must complete a two-year training period.
With NASA's plans for the future of exploration, new astronauts will fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and may be the first to fly on to Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html
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I can't even do roller coasters anymore....I'm out.
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Astro knots and ELTs - nothing further to be said.
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Astro knots and ELTs - nothing further to be said.
touché,... :P ;) :) 8)
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Right after WIPP started accepting waste again I actually applied. I took the competency test and passed with an 89% and heard from a few people through the rumor mill that I had secured the position.
I never got a call back and I figured it was because: A) didn't have the educational background for it. B) Didn't have the right "ties" to the people to get me in. I work for the state so I am at WIPP collecting samples so I am still able to learn about the industry and absorb what I can, and on my free time at home I study the CORE training material.
The closest city that offers a program is Hobbs, which might be my next option. Ultimately I don't intend on staying in New Mexico for more than 5-7 years I would like to get my experience as RCT at WIPP and more to the Knoxville area.
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I don't know if wipp is like SRS but I met about 10 of the 30 newbies they hired. All of them either had a parent working there or came from Aiken Tech. Unless they had nuclear power plant experience or previous DOE nobody else was hired. Maybe wipp is different. Can't hurt to apply but my first step would be find out what they "really" want unless you know someone. I guess you can apply for anything. I wanna be an astronaut!
From what I've seen its not what you know, its who you know. I just want to get my foot in the door and get my career started. I figured since I am out there daily I can try and speak with whoever. Eventually they've got to get tired of me pounding on the door that they will hire me to shut me up.
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Ultimately I don't intend on staying in New Mexico for more than 5-7 years I would like to get my experience as RCT at WIPP and more to the Knoxville area.
get in touch wit that radprocalculator dude n due sum gitar work bee four moving to knocksville. mite help wit plan b.
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If you are staying in the WIPP area for 5-7 years it would be best to find a local school program for RCT. Pass that and local schools usually have ties with employers in the area. We have similar situations here in Idaho at INL/ICP. More than half of the new hires have been from one of the local programs near the site. Once your foot is in the door you can get the experience and develop some relationships that may help you go where you want to want to end up.