NukeWorker Forum

Career Path => Getting in => Topic started by: PurdueNuke on Jun 19, 2015, 06:09

Title: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: PurdueNuke on Jun 19, 2015, 06:09
What are your job search suggestions for a recent Bachelor's degree graduate from Purdue's Nuclear Engineering program with no work experience in the nuclear field?  Which career paths do you think are the most beneficial for those starting without nuclear experience?  After looking through multiple job listings, I'm not finding any without nuclear experience required.  Do such positions get posted or are they typically filled by recruiting organizations?

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for you time.

(Yes, the forum's related FAQ, and numerous posting on this thread have been reviewed.)
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: HydroDave63 on Jun 19, 2015, 09:02
No college job fairs, career counselors or anything, after 4 years?  What kind of a diploma mill are they running there?  [sherlock]
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: OldHP on Jun 20, 2015, 12:43
No 'summer' internship?  Not the Purdue I remember!   O:)
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: ddickey on Jun 20, 2015, 10:50
I work with a recent Purdue Nuclear Engineer graduate. We are Apprentice NLO's.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Mounder on Jun 20, 2015, 11:55
NDA is always hot field, but getting a job as a criticality analyst will pay the most.  Find the companies that specialize in these areas and look at their job pages or just search via Indeed.com.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Mounder on Jun 21, 2015, 10:30
The guy is getting a nuclear engineering degree from Purdue and is not a nuke navy vet and you want him to be a Non-Licensed Nuclear Plant Operator (NLO)? brilliant    http://www.nei.org/Careers-Education/Careers-in-the-Nuclear-Industry/Help-for-Your-Job-Search/Sample-Job-Descriptions-and-Salaries/Non-Licensed-Operator
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: MMM on Jun 21, 2015, 02:57
So what are you suggesting then? NLO is currently the only ops position available, since he lacks any type of supervisory experience, which is required for RO/SRO. There are other nuclear jobs available, but they might be tougher to get into without having done an internship.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Nuclear NASCAR on Jun 21, 2015, 08:56
I was surprised by the number of engineering graduates we have in our NLO group, other than the fact that an NLO starts out making more than a newly hired engineer.  We even had an engineer use his degree to qualify to come into one of the maintenance shops, not just for the pay but also because he's a hands on person who likes to fix things. 
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: GLW on Jun 22, 2015, 08:17
So what are you suggesting then?.....

..... but also because he's a hands on person who likes to fix things. 

I construe what is being suggested may be that regardless of education there is much to be learned and experienced beginning with the hands on work, there is much with which that experience can enhance an individual's formal education as that individual progresses through a career, and perhaps, the arrogance and lack of respect towards a "working man's" contribution by the educated elite in this society is hardly exceeded by the arrogance and lack of respect towards common men exhibited by inbred, high born, Eurotrash,...

yup, that's what I construe,... [coffee]
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Laundry Man on Jun 22, 2015, 09:34
Just an observation over many years in the business.  Te way to the top of the heap is Operations.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  Never saw many Site VPs or Plant Managers that didn't have a license at one time.
LM
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: GLW on Jun 22, 2015, 09:45
Just an observation over many years in the business.  Te way to the top of the heap is Operations.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  Never saw many Site VPs or Plant Managers that didn't have a license at one time.
LM

and all that being said it may be the OP is asking about a career in the "nuclear field" and the forum coterie is focused on commercial nuclear power generation,...

so, until the OP returns and helps steer the conversation where the OP wants to go, the thread is stuck with comops centric Dilbertisms,...
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: PurdueNuke on Jun 22, 2015, 02:15
Purdue a diploma mill?  Hardly.

Simply looking for advice from those currently working in the business in addition to those from academia as the two can be different.

First thought was to align along with the defense contractors, but realized that may have been due to the influence of campus.  As I've read more about Energy providers I'm leaning more that way, but really wanted to get advice from people who are in the field(s) themselves.

Not having experience is difficult and I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.  For example, is gaining experience via an outage worker the only way in?  Covering my own travel expenses as a recent grad make this a problem and yes, problems are to be over come.

Thanks for your responses, and any others that you direct my way.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Rerun on Jun 22, 2015, 03:50
Sequoyah was less than 40% ex Navy Nuke and had a great ops department
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: MMM on Jun 22, 2015, 04:59
Just an observation over many years in the business.  Te way to the top of the heap is Operations.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  Never saw many Site VPs or Plant Managers that didn't have a license at one time.
LM

My CNO never held a license. I was surprised to find that out.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: ddickey on Jun 22, 2015, 05:59
Purdue a diploma mill?  Hardly.

Simply looking for advice from those currently working in the business in addition to those from academia as the two can be different.

First thought was to align along with the defense contractors, but realized that may have been due to the influence of campus.  As I've read more about Energy providers I'm leaning more that way, but really wanted to get advice from people who are in the field(s) themselves.

Not having experience is difficult and I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.  For example, is gaining experience via an outage worker the only way in?  Covering my own travel expenses as a recent grad make this a problem and yes, problems are to be over come.

Thanks for your responses, and any others that you direct my way.
NLO is your way in.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Mounder on Jun 27, 2015, 01:59
I steer recent grads towards DOE site positions rather than NRC commercial reactor work.  The person went to Purdue, may have roots in the area, and would be perfectly happy at Argonne National Lab. I would take an entry level position at LANL, ORNL, LLNL, INL, BNL, or ANL over commercial reactor work.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: GLW on Jun 27, 2015, 02:14
I steer recent grads towards DOE site positions rather than NRC commercial reactor work.  The person went to Purdue, may have roots in the area, and would be perfectly happy at Argonne National Lab. I would take an entry level position at LANL, ORNL, LLNL, INL, BNL, or ANL over commercial reactor work.

with DOE funding stagnant that entry level position could remain the only position for a long time,...

energy services companies have the most rapid career growth, albeit traveling, a lot of traveling, will be involved,...

that traveling can and often includes China, Taiwan, Switzerland, India, Eastern Europe, Africa, Japan, sometimes even Latin America,...

when you're young and unattached, it can be a pretty good gig,... [coffee]
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: ski2313 on Jun 27, 2015, 06:08
The guy is getting a nuclear engineering degree from Purdue and is not a nuke navy vet and you want him to be a Non-Licensed Nuclear Plant Operator (NLO)? brilliant   

Our NLO ranks are full of engineers, including nuclear engineers, and ex-Navy is not the rule around here (less than 50% come from the Navy). Also, I think the payscale you referenced in the link may be a little out of date ($145k last year with OT).

Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Rerun on Jun 28, 2015, 12:39
There you go ^^
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: Nukette on Jul 06, 2015, 07:40
Apply to Clinton Power station as an EO,  there is a job posting currently up on their website or Indeed.  They love the Purdue engineers for some reason ;)
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: tr on Aug 24, 2015, 07:45
Some plants have great introductory programs for new graduate engineers where you focus on training and get rotated through the various plant departments for the first year or two.  Palo Verde's Legacy Engineer is one such program, although it's very selective.
Title: Re: Advice for recent Purdue Nuclear Engineering Graduate
Post by: ddickey on Aug 25, 2015, 05:16
FYI Xcel Energy is hiring an Engineer I Nuclear.