Personal Experiences: finding a nuke job

[kc351]

I will be separating from the Navy within the year. I'm an MM2 without EWS. After talking to some shipmates(pardon the lingo), I'm supposed to be talking to some headhunters during my TAPS class. I'd like to find an NLO/AO job pretty much anywhere. If its even possible, is it in bad taste or would it negatively affect me to call the Plants and speak with them about open positions/ employment, or should I leave it to the headhunters or a job search site to find me?

Personal experience or examples would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[Higgs]

Head hunters won't help you with plant jobs.

Do the work yourself.

That said, if you are a 6 and out that did the minimum, you are going to struggle.

Good luck.

Justin

[Starkist]

How many of your shipmates work in a commercial nuclear plant?

That said, job openings for NLO go in cycles, usually one class every 1-2 years depending on the plant. Pay will vary, but is usually competitive regardless of where you go (you won't go hungry...)

Indeed.com, this sites job section, and utility's "careers" pages are where you should be sniffing around. Don't expect someone to come banging down your door to offer you a job , certainly not in this economy...


Take the time you have before getting out to make sure you know what you want to do. Set up your gi bill, look around at different places, try to establish connections. You can set yourself up for the rest of your life if you put the work into it now.

[GLW]

Head hunters won't help you with plant jobs.

Do the work yourself.

That said, if you are a 6 and out that did the minimum, you are going to struggle.

Good luck.

Justin

That said, hedge your bets,...

The sunshine bonus plants have no lack of prospective new hires,...

The snow drift bonus plants not so much,...

After that filter there are the "close to the action" plants,...

And there are the "stuck in God's forsaken hinterlands" plants,...

At the end of the day, no matter where you earn your NRC license as an RO or SRO, you are magnitudes more marketable previously/currently licensed than you are never licensed,...

Draw your own conclusions,...

Thank you for your service and good luck,....

[Content1]

Check with the lawrence livermore lab fusion program, the seem to favor ex-navy type.  Ask for Richard Beale.

[GLW]

OBTW:

The following;

Hello Nuke worker members,
First off I'm  new to the forums so sorry for the same old questions
So  I'm currently qualified PVO, RT,AEA, EO, RO, SRO, CPW,  BEQ with some extra quals in  Maintenance Person, Planner, RPPO, WCS, RCI, SCI, RMT(Reactor Maintenance Technician), RMA(Reactor Maintenance Assistant).
I definitely want to get out in a year & a half so is there anything else that I should qualify while in the Navy before I get out?
Also what is the best route for trying to  get a job?
Any help would  be great.
Thanks

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Applies here too;

I will be separating from the Navy within the year. I'm an MM2 without EWS. After talking to some shipmates(pardon the lingo), I'm supposed to be talking to some headhunters during my TAPS class. I'd like to find an NLO/AO job pretty much anywhere. If its even possible, is it in bad taste or would it negatively affect me to call the Plants and speak with them about open positions/ employment, or should I leave it to the headhunters or a job search site to find me?

Personal experience or examples would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[Creeker]

I'm not sure about other plants, but here in the hinterlands of Kansas, we like ties to the area.  Parents in Oklahoma? Wifes family from Kansas City?  That's a plus with us, as it means the chances of us training you and you bailing to a warmer port are reduced.  Next, if you have time before EAOS, at least get evaluated by TESC for the Nuclear Engineering Technology degree.  Start a class..  You can then say your degree work is in progress, and only X classes until finished.  It really comes down to timing.  We're hiring a new NSO class later this year, but I can't tell you when.  We'd love to know as well, so we could hire a contract instructor for basics..  So, HR won't always know.  Operations Supt or Manager will know when they decide, but you should be able to get a general time, like "Later this year".  Good luck! 
PS. No duty days and overtime are sweet deals!  If you have an FTN attitude, or an "It's cool to show that I hate my job" mentality, leave it behind.  It's looked at thinly out here.

[GLW]

I'm not sure about other plants, but here in the hinterlands of Kansas, we like ties to the area.  Parents in Oklahoma? Wifes family from Kansas City?  That's a plus with us, as it means the chances of us training you and you bailing to a warmer port are reduced.

well yes, there is that,...

a course, the young lad may up and marry one of those deep sky eyed, lithesome, wild prairie lasses and the ties to the area are then secured,...

I'm just saying,...

[HydroDave63]

a course, the young lad may up and marry one of those deep sky eyed, lithesome, wild prairie lasses and the ties to the area are then secured,...

I thought that happened after she beat the young lad arm-wrassling 2 out of 3 falls, or pinned him til he tapped out UFC style...  

[kc351]

firstly, I want to apologize GLW. I am pretty new, so not really sure if there's supposed to be a proper first post or anything like that. i guess i could be more useful to the 'getting in'/'staying in' threads, I dont have a FTN mentality. I enjoyed my time I'm just ready to move on. If it counts for anything I've actually looked around other threads quite a bit before I created an account and posted this topic.

I guess i could've been less vague, I'm a non-elt (if that means anything to the civilian sector), non EWS, MM. I did qualify SIR but let's be honest, If i wasn't able to qualify, i probably shouldn't be looking for a job in the nuke community.

So far I know of two buddies who've gotten NLO/AO jobs. one in AZ, one in PA both plain SIR, 6nout guys like me. but since looking around on nukeworker, i'm starting to feel like I won't be as lucky.

[kc351]

The sunshine bonus plants have no lack of prospective new hires,...

The snow drift bonus plants not so much,...

After that filter there are the "close to the action" plants,...

And there are the "stuck in God's forsaken hinterlands" plants,...

I'm taking it, the sunshine plants are like CA and AZ. Snow drift... the Northeast? creeker is from the hinterlands in Kansas. where are 'close to the action' plants?

[GLW]

firstly, I want to apologize GLW. I am pretty new, so not really sure if there's supposed to be a proper first post or anything like that. i guess i could be more useful to the 'getting in'/'staying in' threads, I dont have a FTN mentality. I enjoyed my time I'm just ready to move on. If it counts for anything I've actually looked around other threads quite a bit before I created an account and posted this topic.

I guess i could've been less vague, I'm a non-elt (if that means anything to the civilian sector), non EWS, MM. I did qualify SIR but let's be honest, If i wasn't able to qualify, i probably shouldn't be looking for a job in the nuke community.

So far I know of two buddies who've gotten NLO/AO jobs. one in AZ, one in PA both plain SIR, 6nout guys like me. but since looking around on nukeworker, i'm starting to feel like I won't be as lucky.

Well, you're courteous so here we go:

Last I knew SIR for an MM was not optional, no bonus points for that,...

As for lucky, timing is everything,...

You're getting out and gotta do what's best for you, I'm just sharing what I've observed and what I've chewed the fat on a bit with some folks even more clued in than myself,...

I'm taking it, the sunshine plants are like CA and AZ. Snow drift... the Northeast? creeker is from the hinterlands in Kansas. where are 'close to the action' plants?

Sunshine - yeah, the ones you mentioned and,...

Region 2 plants



and, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas,....it gets a might cold in Missouri, but it's close,...

Northeast?!?!?!?!

If family doesn't compel you to be there don't, just don't,....the folks in the plants are fine as most are, but the taxes and the cost of living are just a never ending grind,...

It's a shame too, there is some beautiful country left in the Northeast,...

Okay now for,...

the snowdrifts,....

Mostly Region 3:



close to the action would be those within an hour of a major city,...

remember you will have to live within a distance where you can get to the plant in short order for emergencies,...

so you can choose to live between the city and the plant or on the other side from the plant, your call, in some scenarios you can live inside the emergency call out limit and also position yourself within an hour of two major cities,....

if you like attending professional level sporting events, drama stuff, dance, museums all that action stuff you can have it pretty good, remember you will have a life again in CIVLANT, particularly as an AO/NLO,...

if you are offered the SRO brass ring (not likely) you will not have a life for upwards of two years,...

hinterlands plants,....look 'em up,....

hiking, hunting, outdoors stuff, chopping wood, you get it,...

and after all, you're gettin' out of the Navy and have nothing left but the bright side of life: