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Anybody work in Power?
tstuart34:
--- Quote from: SemperFiGuy on December 28, 2015, 05:14:22 PM ---One Other Item on the BS-Engineering Degree:
If you are going to work full-time, then you'll most likely have to pursue your BS-Engineering degree on a part-time basis.
Which means that you have to go somewhere--like a Big City--with a local university that offers BS degrees in the evening.
So---Nebraska is not an option. There are no evening-accessible BS-engineering degrees available in this state. At one time, we were considering creating a program for the AEC nuclear plants where a BS degree would be available at the powerplants for powerplant employees. But we didn't. Maybe some other university system did so. You can check with your HR Training Department.
In that case, you might have to take whatever engineering degree you can access. Still would work. Not aware of any online BS-engineering degrees, but may be such somewhere. You can do a websearch to find out if interested.
sfg
--- End quote ---
As someone who is getting my BS degree in ME at UNL and working 40+ in manufacturing it sucks horribly. It is going to take me about 6-7 years total (6. Credits). I'm 18 months in because my SCC degree is worthless piece of paper at UNL.
But I agree with you getting the most general degree as possible and then do a minor or double major. Give yourself as many avenues at getting a job as possible in a ever changing world.
I am not overly well versed in the PE stuff because the company I work for does care less if you have a PE just the engineering degree. But that sounds like a solid path also if you can find a PE to work for.
Black and Veatch would be my choice of companies to work for if I wanted to get into the power plant engineering stuff.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
20nickels:
--- Quote from: greg58 on December 28, 2015, 04:43:37 PM ---Hi Clinton, I have a friend who is a member here, although he doesn't post much.
He has recently retired from OPPD, starting out as a Machinist, finishing up as a maintenance supervisor at the North Omaha coal plant.
He worked at NE. City, Ft. Calhoun, North Omaha, and others. Always in power generation.
If you want I could get you in touch with him, he really knows the in and out of that business, and he enjoys helping people!!
I could have him PM you, or call you. Let me know, Greg
--- End quote ---
Hi Greg,
I mobilized cranes to Bellevue on at least four occasions in 2013 to work with OPPD maintenance and is where I caught the power bug. Your friend is very welcome to contact me with answers or any additional input he may find pertinent.
20nickels:
--- Quote from: SemperFiGuy on December 28, 2015, 05:04:46 PM ---As a plain-vanilla chalk-on-the-butt everyday engineering professor, my recommendation to you would be to enroll in an engineering program of study that's not so narrow and specialized as nuclear engineering. Nothing wrong with working in that field; it's a good field. However, the name of the degree could be a problem in the future.
Case in Point:
Someday you may wish to change career fields entirely, and a whole lotta HR folks will look at your resume and say, "We don't run a nuclear power plant". Result: Your application gets deep-sixed in the file cabinet and you never hear back from anyone.
Instead, You could readily go for a broader degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, meanwhile taking all your general and technical electives in nuclear engineering specialty courses. This approach would work out the same. You'd cover about the same amount of nuclear engineering course material and knowledge that way as you would in the specialty degree.
After your BS degree, you could go for a PE license in your basic area (EE, ME...whatever) and also for a PE license in Nuclear Engineering. An associate of mine has done it that way (EE and Nuclear PEs). [Professionally, I've also been licensed in Nebraska in two separate engineering fields; however, that's another whole story.]
Many BS-engineering grads I've met with highly specialized bachelor's degrees (aerospace, nuclear, petroleum, etc.) have had problems switching fields when their career area dried up and/or when they wanted to move to a different location.
So those are my thoughts for your consideration.
FWIW,
sfg
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: SemperFiGuy on December 28, 2015, 05:14:22 PM ---One Other Item on the BS-Engineering Degree:
If you are going to work full-time, then you'll most likely have to pursue your BS-Engineering degree on a part-time basis.
Which means that you have to go somewhere--like a Big City--with a local university that offers BS degrees in the evening.
So---Nebraska is not an option. There are no evening-accessible BS-engineering degrees available in this state. At one time, we were considering creating a program for the AEC nuclear plants where a BS degree would be available at the powerplants for powerplant employees. But we didn't. Maybe some other university system did so. You can check with your HR Training Department.
In that case, you might have to take whatever engineering degree you can access. Still would work. Not aware of any online BS-engineering degrees, but may be such somewhere. You can do a websearch to find out if interested.
sfg
--- End quote ---
This is good advice and you are not the 1st to give it. It is my understanding that NPPD tends to pay for continuing education (if you keep yer grades up) in the more specialized areas which makes it very tempting. I'll know more in the coming year. They make a good sales pitch but I like to think my BS detector is fully functional having been tested frequently over the years. :)
From what I understand, these colleges are out East and most studies are online... which leads me to believe I would be in TStuart34's shoes working full time and earning a degree.
Additionally I have the option of doing a fossil fuels AND nuclear focus. The only reason I dropped the idea of FF is I don't care to breath coal dust. I have a hard time believing this isn't a health concern but with more knowledge new perspective is gained. Anyway the political winds seem to be blowing away from coal but my crystal ball is fuzzy with cataracts so what do I know.
Very thorough replies. They are much appreciated. I'm 38 and never attended college but after recent layoffs my wife and I decided this was the best option.
SemperFiGuy:
--- Quote ---As someone who is getting my BS degree in ME at UNL and working 40+ in manufacturing it sucks horribly. It is going to take me about 6-7 years total (6. Credits). I'm 18 months in because my SCC degree is worthless piece of paper at UNL.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---which leads me to believe I would be in TStuart34's shoes working full time and earning a degree.
--- End quote ---
tstuart34/20Nickels:
Hang in there!!! You'll never regret it. I've had literally scores of folks in my office saying that they wished they had stayed in college when they had the chance. Have NEVER had someone saying that they had too much education. Never. And you are never "too old" to get your degree.
I'm in the UNL engineering detachment on the UNO Campus. I've frequently encouraged SCC grads to go to UNO's BS-General Studies program to complete their degree because UNO will give maximum credit for community college degrees. UNL is prissier and doesn't have a similar program. And doesn't give much respect to SCC, MCC, etc.
Look at it this way..........A four-year engineering degree takes 4+ years to complete, even going full-time. So part-time, you have to go a bit longer. However, in this case, you're still earning an income, getting some experience, and--hopefully--your company is paying some of it. Going to school the way you are doing will really sharpen your time-management skills. [And keep you out of dark places like bars and pool halls.]
Your story is really relatable to me. I've earned eight college degrees doing it just the way you are doing it, plus raising eight kids. Not sure how....It's all kind of a blur now. But it's doable. You'll never regret it. Just keep on keepin' on, like Joe Dirt.
sfg
bkoenig:
You might send an IM to Wildgoose. He's retired now but he worked in that field.
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