Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
(OP)
Hey everyone. Last year I got a job as an engineer working on a project to build two new nuclear reactors in South Carolina. Unfortunately, the utility/owner cancelled the project on July 31st (read about it here), not even 1 year after I got the job. The project was way over budget and behind schedule due to exceptionally bad project management by Westinghouse Electric Company (not my employer). As a result, I am out of a job, along with 5600 other people. I had been hoping to make a career out of working as an engineer in the nuclear industry, but it is clear now that the industry is dying.
So, I’m getting out of the nuclear industry, and I’m looking for advice about where else I’d fit well. My question is:
Do you know of any US industries where someone with my education and experience could do engineering design work? My education, experience, career development focus, and desired type of work are listed below.
Also, do you know of other places where I could post this question and get more replies from other people?
Thank you.
Education: Degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
Experience: 6 years (5 years US Navy, then 1 year commercial) of nuclear power plant engineering. All were effectively doing project management with very limited use of technical analyses/calculations. None of my experience is in plant operations or maintenance.
Career development focus: Working towards earning a Professional Engineer (PE) license. I need additional qualifying experience and I need to take the PE exam (Mechanical – Thermal and Fluid Systems PE exam).
Desired type of work: I am not particular about which industry I switch to, so long as the jobs are relatively stable and the work involves engineering design. The nature of work needs to qualify towards earning a PE license, which means it should be “meaningful design experience” that meets a public need and should “include exposure to the formation of design problem statements and specifications, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, analytical calculations and detailed systems descriptions.”
So, I’m getting out of the nuclear industry, and I’m looking for advice about where else I’d fit well. My question is:
Do you know of any US industries where someone with my education and experience could do engineering design work? My education, experience, career development focus, and desired type of work are listed below.
Also, do you know of other places where I could post this question and get more replies from other people?
Thank you.
Education: Degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
Experience: 6 years (5 years US Navy, then 1 year commercial) of nuclear power plant engineering. All were effectively doing project management with very limited use of technical analyses/calculations. None of my experience is in plant operations or maintenance.
Career development focus: Working towards earning a Professional Engineer (PE) license. I need additional qualifying experience and I need to take the PE exam (Mechanical – Thermal and Fluid Systems PE exam).
Desired type of work: I am not particular about which industry I switch to, so long as the jobs are relatively stable and the work involves engineering design. The nature of work needs to qualify towards earning a PE license, which means it should be “meaningful design experience” that meets a public need and should “include exposure to the formation of design problem statements and specifications, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, analytical calculations and detailed systems descriptions.”





RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
I agree with nuclear being a dying industry; it'll need to reinvent itself if a true "nuclear renaissance" will ever occur. Best of luck to you!
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
You seem to be implying that there might be a recession-proof,or layoff-proof industry floating around somewhere. The reality is that such a beast cannot be found, and you'll need to be flexible enough to jump to a different company or different industry as required by the whims of fate.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
Definitely. Thanks for the idea!
As long as the work qualifies towards earning a PE license, I’m open to it. I agree that it might be restrictive, so I’ll be quick to expand my search region if things aren’t panning out well by the next month or so. Thank you for the reply.
I will be strongly considering getting into fossil power projects. Thank you for the advice.
Thanks for the idea. I’ll do a broad search for companies that produce radiation-related medical equipment.
Thanks for the advice. That type of work is definitely applicable, so I’ll be looking into it for sure. How does one go about identifying EPC firms in the steam power industry? Would you mind naming a few for me? Thanks.
Thanks for the reply.
Thanks for the advice. Hopefully it’s not too hard getting an engineering design position – that’s what I need to get the PE license I’m targeting.
Agreed. Thanks for making sure I'm based in reality. I’m only looking for a job in a relatively-stable industry when compared to the average. I understand I likely will be subject to ups and downs regardless of which industry I’m in. I’m just trying to limit my exposure to ups and downs as much as I reasonably can.
Definitely. I’ll be looking at them very much. Thanks for the reply.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
Noted. Thanks for the info.
I'd consider them if they weren't located outside of my search area. They're my fallback if my searching doesn't pan out the way I'm hoping.
Haha!
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
RE: Was laid off. Looking for advice on switching from US nuclear industry to a new US industry.
"I'd consider them if they weren't located outside of my search area..."
It sounds at this point as though your search area should be primarily on this planet, likely in English speaking areas. A bit more seriously though, it may take you some time and reflection to determine really what your chosen limits even can be, let alone what they should be. I'm around ex Navy nukes all the time. There's a dirty little, poorly kept secret called "Hanford" not far from me that's constantly looking for people with resumes not that different from yours. If, however you're restricting yourself to a limited geographic area, well, you're asking in a forum which is barely conscious of such, let alone limited. I'm sure you're aware that China is a happening spot for nuke these days, but when it comes to young blood, I think they have an oversupply of their own, although "US Navy" would probably be pretty attractive to some players.
Be aware of your own actual limitations, don't create them, don't cherry pick them, you'll have enough to deal with, and others will spot them if you can't.
.
(Me,,,wrong? ...aw, just fine-tuning my sarcasm!)