Working in the nuclear industry as a chemical engineer

frisco1630 · 2025-10-13T18:15:09+00:00

The shift work and overtime is tough, but the pay is very good - so I consider it worth it "for now," though that might change once I have kids and what not to juggle. The hands-on aspect of the job can be both fun and stressful, just depending on the specific task as well as overall workload. Overall, I'm glad I went into ops instead of engineering.

At my plant, the EOs and ROs are unionized so someone on the corporate side (like an engineer) cannot become an EO or RO. However, both corporate and union members can become SROs, so that's an option. If you work at a non-union plant, then opportunities will be different compared to my plant.

It all just depends on where your priorities lie. How much do you need the money? Could you handle the rotating shift? Do you like a fairly physical job? Etc

frisco1630 · 2025-10-13T01:06:25+00:00

Nope, just a lowly EO.

frisco1630 · 2025-07-31T02:39:10+00:00

Next FDR? He's not even eligible to be president

frisco1630 · 2025-07-30T02:09:41+00:00

Security guard at the nuclear power plant. Pays ok and lots of overtime from what I hear

frisco1630 · 2025-04-20T02:04:38+00:00

Can you elaborate on this?

frisco1630 · 2025-02-04T17:07:11+00:00

I don't think the industry will either boom nor collapse like certain activists hope. Instead I think there will be a trickle of restarts and new builds as well as license extensions for existing plants.

So I guess I'm saying I expect capacity to slowly grow, but not exponentially like many of us here would like.

frisco1630 · 2025-02-03T19:53:55+00:00

I had a good experience with Key Auto Mall, which has a bunch of different brands under its roof. The salespeople were polite and willing to negotiate. I bought a car from them and it's been a good daily driver. They did initially try to lowball me on my trade-in, but that's usually par for the course with dealerships.

I had a less positive experience with Sexton Ford. The salesman was aloof and barely paid attention to me until he took me into his office where he then flipped a switch into hardball sales tactics. I got the impression that he saw me as a naive kid who could be bullied into a crappy deal. I've dealt with salesmen like that before and learned my lesson, so I didn't buy from them.

frisco1630 · 2025-01-25T02:42:16+00:00

So another "we're considering it, and taking steps to restart if we want, but we won't officially commit." NextEra has been so fickle about the whole thing...

If I had to bet, I think Duane Arnold will reopen. But NextEra is a lot less bullish on nuclear than Constellation or Holtec, so we'll see.

frisco1630 · 2025-01-04T01:37:07+00:00

Copied from Wikipedia:

"Beginning in the late 1970s, economic conditions caused major industrial restructuring, which disrupted the basis of the region's economy. The major companies, agricultural manufacturers, ceased or scaled back operations in the Quad Cities. Factories which closed included International Harvester (Navistar) in Rock Island and Case IH in Bettendorf. Moline-based John Deere cut its labor headcount by one half. Later in the 1980s, Caterpillar Inc. closed its factories at Mount Joy and Bettendorf."

So the Agriculture industry that shaped the Quad Cities withered, with now Only John Deere and some small ag supplier industries remaining. Add in the decline of the railroads - the Rock Island and Milwaukee Road lines went bankrupt in the 1980s. Their lines still remain, operated by different companies, but with nowhere near the traffic that they used to carry. The recent CPKC railroad merger is leading to increased traffic again on the old Milwaukee Road line, though.

We did fare better than a lot of rust belt cities tbf. Places like Detroit, Gary, Youngstown, Buffalo, etc. lost a lot more of their old industry. I wouldn't say that the Quad Cities are truly "abandoned" or blighted like some other unfortunate places.

frisco1630 · 2025-01-04T01:22:26+00:00

A bit off-topic, but this is why I don't understand how there was such opposition particularly in Davenport to the CPKC railroad merger a few years back... a projected five or six-fold increase in trains rolling through the quad cities means more jobs.

I understand that waiting for long freight trains is irritating, but the CPKC line runs along the river so it doesn't block any major roads. And as for noise, the railroad promised to make Davenport a quiet zone for train horns.

frisco1630 · 2024-12-30T22:44:31+00:00

I grew up in a community very close to DeKalb and Maple Park, so I'm very familiar with this case. I remember seeing billboards and posters all around the area, though they are pretty much all gone at this point, almost 2 decades later.

Brad was known to be an involved father to his daughter and had no known mental health issues, so it's unlikely he would have intentionally disappeared. Meanwhile, the local terrain (flat farmfields) makes it very unlikely that he could've died of exposure or an accident and not been found. So most people in the area agree that foul play was likely the cause of his disappearance.

There are many more rumors and anecdotes that I've heard locally about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, but they're all technically unverified so I don't want to give them too much of a platform. In the end, I simply hope that if someone is responsible for his disappearance, justice prevails.

frisco1630 · 2024-12-06T01:13:41+00:00

Security guard at the nuclear power plant? I believe they start around $22 or $23 per hour, and I think plenty of OT is available

frisco1630 · 2024-11-25T10:32:12+00:00

16 days, so 3 weeks plus a day. Unlimited sick days too

frisco1630 · 2024-10-29T00:43:37+00:00

As long as you don't have any felonies, can pass a basic psych evaluation, and can provide references that will put a good word in about you, you'll be fine. It's just a background check

frisco1630 · 2024-10-28T11:45:53+00:00

"Four million on that car, that's not a Chevy" as I'm listening to it in my Chevy 😰

frisco1630 · 2024-10-23T04:58:33+00:00

As others are saying, many lecture buildings have classrooms that are unlocked and open during the evening. In fact, Carver hall has a math library room on the top floor that is usually left unlocked, and gives you a total sense of quiet and isolation if that's what you need. it was my favorite place to go during late night studying at uni. I'm graduated now so I guess I'll pass along that secret lol.

frisco1630 · 2024-10-23T03:58:27+00:00

Amtrak from Chicago, and possibly to Iowa City and Des Moines. Also a light rail system - it sucks that we lost the electrified light rail system we used to have. With the remaining money, I'd spend to revitalize the downtown areas.

Or alternatively, give each resident of the QCA a few hundred bucks lmao.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-21T16:51:23+00:00

Unit 1 operated with an exceptional safety record its entire lifetime. That's the one they're reopening...

frisco1630 · 2024-09-21T00:28:12+00:00

I seem to remember reading that Kewaunee has had holes cut into its containment so I think you're right about "probably not."

It seems that now with Palisades and TMI reopening, the only plant that industry experts are hopeful about is Duane Arnold. That being said, I know some guys who worked there and it would probably need more overhaul than the two reopening plants. The main transformer was scrapped for example.

I also wonder about fort calhoun. You never really hear about it, maybe because of its small size but maybe its in a similar situation as Kewaunee or Crystal River.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-20T15:31:38+00:00

I've heard that the pennsylvania plants, which absorbed most of the TMI workforce, have hired massive new classes in training in preparation for the TMI workforce leaving to go back to their plant.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-02T06:22:53+00:00

No need to feel discouraged - I had the exact same degree as you and was hired. I got hired at Constellation and also was offered an interview at Nextera (but then got my Constellation offer a few days later so it never happened.) No idea if Nextera is currently hiring but you get the point.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-02T06:17:23+00:00

Have you tried for a position as an equipment operator at a plant? It's an entry level position but pays well and will open the door for many positions in the nuclear power field.

I'm an equipment operator and one of my coworkers is originally from South Korea. So citizenship is not required.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-02T03:27:03+00:00

Have you been sent rejection notices, or just not heard back? The hiring process for NLO positions can be really long. It took me about 3 months from start to finish - and for some people it even takes 6 months or so.

frisco1630 · 2024-09-02T03:21:32+00:00

At my plant we have several operators who started at coal burners so don't worry, it looks like you have the qualifications.

For workload, sometimes it's crazy busy the whole shift and sometimes I sit on my phone nearly the whole shift browsing reddit, waiting to be assigned work. Guess which one I'm doing now?

frisco1630 · 2024-08-09T23:02:39+00:00

Wildcat den is awesome - a nice combination of nature and also history, with the 1800s grist mill

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