 |
| What did you do after serving as a nuke? |
After leaving the service nukes may work in industries
related to their nuclear training. Some typical paths include getting an
Electrical Engineering degree on the GI bill and embarking upon careers in
utilities, electricity or electronics related fields. By tradition, in the old days guys would work
in the nuclear power field as reactor operators, or in industries involving electricity
(motors, pump), electronics, and semiconductors. My case was usual once I transitioned
into a position as a product support engineer working on semiconductor
manufacturing equipment.
However, in many instances once their nuke tour was finished
the Ex Navy Nuke wound up doing something entirely different than their training
and sea tour. One example is a Reactor Operator who ended up as a micro-biologist
after going back to college on the GI Bill. I know of another nuclear
electrician who would up becoming an architect and an ELT who is now running a
marketing company.
Without a doubt many ways exist to making a living whether
you are using your nuclear training or not. I find it fascinating on many
occasions it is more interesting to look at where guys have gone after getting
their DD214’s rather than the path got us into the MEP’s office in the first
place.
Are you doing something drastically opposite what you did
after your time as a nuke?
1 comment:
I thought about pursuing a nuclear engineering degree after my six as a NUC MM, but a cursory look at the related job market at the time (around 1994) showed little marketability, other than radcon work. Still, engineering seemed the logical path, and after a long weekend original series Star Trek marathon, the choice was Aerospace. First job was working on tactical; when a phone call from a former shipmate led me to a gig working for the Navy Strategic Systems Programs, of all things (sort of making me an honorary boomer after the fact?). Then, to add insult to injury, I was at one time considering a career move that looked favorably on military officer experience, so I decided to go direct commission in the Navy Reserves. Looking back, you could say I’ve experienced just about every facet of defense employment (contractor; civil service; military, both active and reserve, officer and enlisted).
Post a Comment