To RO or not RO

[campolot]

I think I've made my decision but am open to suggestions. Background, about 8 years ago I made a complete career switch out of a non-technical/industrial field with no nuclear or military background. I'm sitting here now with 2 classes left on a 4-yr nuclear engineering tech degree and 3 years qualified NLO in a PWR. The next RO class is forming up and I will be interviewing. Any opportunity to interview is good experience. After many discussions with my wife, the last even more in depth, I'm strongly leaning to not pursuing this class but waiting for the next. Some things:

1. I've spent a good many years with extra hours of study at home to get where I'm at now. By this time next year I'll be done with the extra study at home and can look to have 12 to 18 months of home time to focus on home and family 100%. If I don't go to class.
2. I'm considering a move to a different area/plant in the 36 to 48 month time frame. Going to class now and then doing such a move seems wrong to my current employers and I honestly don't want to go through an in-depth learning of one plant and then have to merge and purge that info with a new plant.
3. If I wait, and don't move, I still get the "relax" home time and then kick it back up 6 months before the next class at my home plant. Extra time in plant and under scrutiny would help me and hopefully reduce the stress of RO training here.
4. I'm not inclined to go DSRO here or at a new plant because of my limited industry experience. I think RO will give me a large chunk of knowledge and experience.
5. I've got maybe 20 years of full-time work left in me, barring any surprise medical issues and if I get myself back working out/active. My end goal would probably be SRO instructor and then looking to contract on retirement.

Is waiting just punting? Should I just suck it up now and put off any thought of moving for a longer time period? The move idea is to get to an area with more diverse recreational opportunities and positive climate for spouse. What am I not considering? With the attitude/thoughts I have right now I may be setting myself up for a poor interview anyway.

[Laundry Man]

I never was an operator, but I would suggest you suck it up as the opportunity may not be there next time.
Just my two cents,
LM

[tr]

Taking the NE tech classes is probably a good reason to not start RO training now.  Just have a good understanding of whether or not this is a one time offer (probably not, since you are in Ops).

[Nuclear NASCAR]

I think I've made my decision but am open to suggestions. Background, about 8 years ago I made a complete career switch out of a non-technical/industrial field with no nuclear or military background. I'm sitting here now with 2 classes left on a 4-yr nuclear engineering tech degree and 3 years qualified NLO in a PWR. The next RO class is forming up and I will be interviewing. Any opportunity to interview is good experience. After many discussions with my wife, the last even more in depth, I'm strongly leaning to not pursuing this class but waiting for the next. Some things:

1. I've spent a good many years with extra hours of study at home to get where I'm at now. By this time next year I'll be done with the extra study at home and can look to have 12 to 18 months of home time to focus on home and family 100%. If I don't go to class.

Realizing that you can use a break is a good sign to go ahead & take it.  Kids & wives remember the time you spend with them.  They also remember when you couldn't.  Sounds like you have good priorities, take care of your family financially & emotionally.  Good move.

2. I'm considering a move to a different area/plant in the 36 to 48 month time frame. Going to class now and then doing such a move seems wrong to my current employers and I honestly don't want to go through an in-depth learning of one plant and then have to merge and purge that info with a new plant.

Integrity is always a good trait no matter the reason. 

3. If I wait, and don't move, I still get the "relax" home time and then kick it back up 6 months before the next class at my home plant. Extra time in plant and under scrutiny would help me and hopefully reduce the stress of RO training here.

Any knowledge & experience that you can get prior to training will reduce stress.

4. I'm not inclined to go DSRO here or at a new plant because of my limited industry experience. I think RO will give me a large chunk of knowledge and experience.

SRO is a job that isn't for everyone.  Get all the experience that YOU feel that YOU need to decide if it's for you or not. 

5. I've got maybe 20 years of full-time work left in me, barring any surprise medical issues and if I get myself back working out/active. My end goal would probably be SRO instructor and then looking to contract on retirement.

If you've got that much time ahead of you & you know that you can be considered for the next class do what you feel is right for you now.  Do get back to increasing your activity now to help your health for the future.  That is a good idea no matter what you do.

Is waiting just punting? Should I just suck it up now and put off any thought of moving for a longer time period? The move idea is to get to an area with more diverse recreational opportunities and positive climate for spouse. What am I not considering? With the attitude/thoughts I have right now I may be setting myself up for a poor interview anyway.

Is the waiting a good idea to improve your family life?  Do you want to put off moving & do you really want to move?  "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."  Henry Ford

[HydroDave63]

The move idea is to get to an area with more diverse recreational opportunities and positive climate for spouse. What am I not considering?

Possibly, that if you had asked that question in 2010, both San Onofre near the sunshiny beaches and Kewaunee near awesome hunting and camping would have been two valid replies. Now, not so much!

Be thankful for what you have and bloom where you are planted! Good luck!

[rlbinc]

Effort pays, procrastination stays.
Run with the big dogs or get off the porch.
Your choice.
(Licensed in 1991)

[Content1]

SRO is the top of the heap for a non-degreed persons in the nuclear field.   Many wish they could attain such a position of authority.  They should be saluted whenever they walk by.  If they goof up all our jobs are in jeopardy.

[RDTroja]

I never was an operator, but I would suggest you suck it up as the opportunity may not be there next time.
Just my two cents,
LM

True, but the opportunity to have family time will vanish quicker than any job opportunity and with much more certainty. Nobody ever laid on their death bed and said "I wish I had worked more."

Enjoy your life before you are looking at it from the wrong end.

[Content1]

True, but the opportunity to have family time will vanish quicker than any job opportunity and with much more certainty. Nobody ever laid on their death bed and said "I wish I had worked more."

Enjoy your life before you are looking at it from the wrong end.

But many on their deathbed will say, had they passed by the opportunity, "I wish I had been an SRO."

[Marlin]

SRO is the top of the heap for a non-degreed persons in the nuclear field.   Many wish they could attain such a position of authority.  They should be saluted whenever they walk by.  If they goof up all our jobs are in jeopardy.

Not for those of us who demolish, remediate, and recover.



Sea Shells are for Operators

[RDTroja]

But many on their deathbed will say, had they passed by the opportunity, "I wish I had been an SRO."

Bulls**t.

[surf50]

But many on their deathbed will say, had they passed by the opportunity, "I wish I had been an SRO."

That's just plain good comedy.
C'mon, Rodger, he's trolling now.
I hope.

[RDTroja]

That's just plain good comedy.
C'mon, Rodger, he's trolling now.
I hope.

Trolling, bulls**t... same difference.

[Fermi2]

Effort pays, procrastination stays.
Run with the big dogs or get off the porch.
Your choice.
(Licensed in 1991)

I agree. Grow a pair and get the license. You will never regret it.

[Fermi2]

But many on their deathbed will say, had they passed by the opportunity, "I wish I had been an SRO."

I hope that was sarcastic, people take opportunities according to their talents and wishes. I know many who are perfectly content to never get any type of License let alone an SRO one. Many of these people would make great SROs. I DO agree an SRO is the only person in and of himself who can get a reactor shutdown faster than you know what but the quote above is... trash.

[Neutron_Herder]

For the OP...

If you're thinking abut moving, do it sooner rather than later.  Finish your degree and go.

If you're leaning towards staying, then I'd go ahead and go to class... In my experience, the extra time involved in license class really wasn't excessive. I had plenty of time to spend with the family, and still came out near the top of the class. The key to preserving the off time is to use the time you're given at work. Easier said than done though. You don't have to have your nose buried in a book to study... I quizzed myself while driving to and from work, when I was out running, etc.

One thing you said makes me doubt my suggestion though. If your wife isn't happy there, then you need to find a way for her to be happy, or go ahead and move to another plant. Do it sooner rather than later. IMO the plants are going to fill up their training pipelines and the jobs are not going to be as plentiful as they have been recently.

[Higgs]

For the OP...

If you're thinking abut moving, do it sooner rather than later.  Finish your degree and go.

If you're leaning towards staying, then I'd go ahead and go to class... In my experience, the extra time involved in license class really wasn't excessive. I had plenty of time to spend with the family, and still came out near the top of the class. The key to preserving the off time is to use the time you're given at work. Easier said than done though. You don't have to have your nose buried in a book to study... I quizzed myself while driving to and from work, when I was out running, etc.

One thing you said makes me doubt my suggestion though. If your wife isn't happy there, then you need to find a way for her to be happy, or go ahead and move to another plant. Do it sooner rather than later. IMO the plants are going to fill up their training pipelines and the jobs are not going to be as plentiful as they have been recently.

Bolded for truth..., my plant is doing just that. We are trying to head off a looming mass exodus.

To add to what he said..., I barely spent any extra time outside of work studying. When I was on OJT, I spent every available minute in the plant, in the control room, in the books.

I've been through two classes now, and I've seen people who use OJT time as a vacation. They are also the same guys that had to put in 16 hours on a weekend for a test.

You'd be amazed at the kind of time you can find around home too..., ahem, on the crapper, for example. I had note cards that I had with me all the time. Service on truck? Study. Waiting for haircut? Study. Standing in line at post office? Study. You get the idea.

You can most certainly use your time at work and free time that you don't realize you have, to your advantage.

I never studied on weekends or in the evenings..., unless it was a milestone exam.

Good luck with your decision!

Justin

[campolot]

Thanks for the input. My preference is to finish the degree and then get the license. But, I can see the pipeline filling and a number of plants closing.  So if offered, I'm taking the opportunity. If no offer, then the degree gets finished and I continue on for a while longer in what is arguably the best job in nuclear power.

[hamsamich]

Deathbed SRO quote.  All the guy is saying is there are more important things in life than a career choice.  I don't believe it was entirely pointed at the SRO job, just that when you are on your deathbed, you would probably regret lost time spent with loved ones over lost career choices that would have netted you more money.  I go in that direction more and more everyday, although we all still have to make a living, so the choice is an important one.  But not an easy one-sided choice for sure, shouldn't be taken lightly and IS NOT a no-brainer in my opinion.  SRO isn't a stress free 40 hour a week job either.... 

[campolot]

No class for me. I'm below the cut, and the company is in the position of having to take by union seniority only or face more rounds of bellyaching. I can make this work too. So the next couple of years will be finishing the degree and seeing if I can accumulate enough knowledge and a big enough sack to go DSRO.

[jams723]

I hope that was sarcastic, people take opportunities according to their talents and wishes. I know many who are perfectly content to never get any type of License let alone an SRO one. Many of these people would make great SROs. I DO agree an SRO is the only person in and of himself who can get a reactor shutdown faster than you know what but the quote above is... trash.

Right... the will say I wish I had been a ELT....

[HydroDave63]

Right... the will say I wish I had been a ELT....

Or that they had worked for BZ

[jams723]

Or that they had worked for BZ

One does not simply work for BZ... 

[HydroDave63]

Indeed!

[ftn807]

Or one could end up like I did. 2/3 through license class and then corporate decides to retire the plant and cancel RO class. Past year+ of time studying not with family wasted. Now looking for a new job. 6 yr ELT w 7 yr PWR B&W ops experience. Thinking of going back into the HP world again.