ok so for those of you who work for the railroad this is for you. Im tring to get in with CSX in springfield. yes i know its a hard job to get into. Iv already tried and i did not meet the qualification. At the time my background was welding with a Amour plating Cert. heavy eq. operater and 4 years in the Marines as a welder. Now im looking into going to ITT for it. what im asking for is should and will the schooling help are should i go a different way. any info would be great.
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What department are you trying to get into? Traincrew, track dept, etc etc??
did they say WHY you didn't meet their qualifications? BNSF loves to hire military people
Sounds like you have almost the perfect qualifications. Especially the military. I'd try Norfolk Southern. They like it if you tell them you like to work outside in all kinds of weather. If you don't mind working weekends and holidays. If you like climbing and bending. Tell them you don't mind "on-call" work, too.
I had a lot of experience in construction. Like working outside. Working weekends. Working early, working late. I did not have military experience and they still took me.
Good luck, Rick
The first thing I wont to say is that I never worked for the railroad, so if you guys with first hand experience wont to correct me please go ahead.
But, I was reading in Trains Magazine about a year or so ago about working on the railroad and one of the things they mentioned was that you should not say that you a railroad hobbyist model, or other wise. The logic behind this reasoning is that people who play at trains do not always have a realistic view of the difficulties of railroad life.
If I was going into the interview I would play-up my love of working on heavy equipment. Stress your skill sets that compliment the job requirements. If you are going for a telecomm spot talk about your desier to grow in that field. If you wont to get a job on train crew then talk about your interest in how massive machinery works.
Go onto the companys web site and learn about their mission statement and what their market needs are all about. People like people who take an interest in them.
It might not be a bad idea to point out your willingness to work long hours and move with the work so you can grow in your RR career. But what I would not do is talk about the love of playing with toy trains.
Oh yea, one more point sometimes we have to move out in order to move up. Burlington Northren is a great company. They managed to thrive when most flags fell. So I would send them a resume and maybe a follow-up phone call.
Just remember, your the man for this job. You have the know-how and you have the commitment to thrive as a railroad worker. Now go get your new job!
Well I hope I was of some help to you and those of you who have more then hearsay knowledge of this job market please don't hesitate to correct me.
The only important thing here is that we help direct Nate how to get his job.
Good luck buddy, let us know how things work out.
All it said was I don't meet the qualifications. Sadly there's no BNSF around me
I don't suppose it occurred to you to "move west, young man" did it? Not as far as Afghanistan and it just might be a job!
This would be best posted in the "Real Trains" forum.
Try NScorp.com That is the NS website LOCOMOTION
Hi, Nate.
Post your question here:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=1923de239ac3bc545fc83ef603ff76a3
Many current railroad employees frequent the forum and I'm confident your inquiry will generate plenty of information you'll find useful.
Good luck in your quest.
Bob
No one reads the Real Trains forum...so.
Luckily, mostly professional railroaders!
Nate
From someone who works for CSX and at times does some of the hiring in my area. Your qualifications look excellent for the Engr. department. One question, I have that will help narrow down you not meeting the qualifications. Did you get invited to an interview? If not, that will help understand where you stand and what you have to do. If you did get an interview, I can ask a few questions and tell by your answers where you stand with that.
Gene
Nate
Need to know what you actually did. Resume? Apply for the job? What else?
Once I find out where you are at, I can help you out.
Gene
Good evening Nate,
First of all, Semper Fi! I have approximately 28 years in freight and commuter car engineering, fabrication and repair. Vets in general are being sought by many companies, freight railroads Class I or shortline and commuter railroads, there are many reasons the first serving our country and the training/discipline acquired in the armed forces. From your posting I am guessing that you are in your mid-twenties and want to establish yourself a career path. It seems that you have approximately 4 to 5 years in welding armour plate, this welding process is either SMAW,TIG or MIG? As mentioned in previous responses to your posting, there are many opportunities in the railroad industry today and many more to open when my baby boomer generation retires. You can work in a railcar fabrication/repair shop, a mobile repair unit, freight and commuter railroad transportation department, management position either in mechanical/transportation departments as you gain experience, these are some of the opportunities. Your should accrued credits for a college education during your 4 year hitch in the Marines, my generation the GI Bill. You may also consider earning an engineering, engineering technology or industrial managment degree either of these degrees will help you in the industry you choose to work in.Choosing a career is a difficult task, ask yourself this primary question where do I want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. I am sixty-two, many years ago I worked 40 to 50 hours/week in engineering departments and earned my mechanical engineering degree in evening classes, it took 12 years but I had 12 years experience. My father told me in the mid-1960's, " They can take you car, your house, the clothes off you back but they cannot take away your education", these words influenced we through my collegiate and working career.
I hope my comments will help you in choosing your career goals.
Regards,
John
Nate,
THis may also help, checkout the Railroad Retirement Board, www.rrb.gov, this list current railroad job vacancies. There is also a listing of Class 1 and short line railroads. Regarding the career of welding, there are many opportunities, Ohio State offer a degree in welding engineering, last year I had six of our shop carmen American Welding Society(AWS) certified for vertical and horizontal positions carbon steel. Overtime with AWS welder certification and experience you may want to become a CWI, certified welding inspector, checkout the AWS in Miami,FL. There are also welder codes such as American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME), American Petroleum Institute(API),etc. For freight car fabrication/repair the applicable AWS procedure are D15.1.
Regards,
John
Sometimes you may have to chase the dream. Check this link out http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.c...to-north-dakota?lite I just got it off the internet, this is where my son went, he has been there just a little over two months. He and I went up there in January looking for a job for him. He was hired the first place he went into, completed his drug test, etc. All this happened on a Monday morning, we were back home early Tuesday morning after a 1500 mile round trip to Williston, ND. He is getting opportunities that he never would have here if he had not decided to move. But be rest assured, there is no housing or places to live other than the man camps or a trailer - 40 degrees below zero in the winter. I told him that I never want to go back there again, I'd rather go back to Vietnam. The "Trains" (?) magazine had a very interesting article last month about the railroads part in all of this oil boom.
Good luck with your endeavors.
Ken.
Way to go Ken and good for young Ken, it's folks like you who built this country.
Sounds like not too much has changed since I got on the RR years ago. I took the tack of going down to the office every other day and begging for a job. Finally got hired out of town on the section gang. Of course I had thought of myself on board a train. I found that the real work of the rr happens on the ground. Back then the only people that got into engine service or into fireman positions were those with friends or relatives on the inside. Later, there was an effort to hire minorities. If you really want to work there, you may need to be persistant and above all flexible. If you say you have to live in a certain area and be home at night, well you may not be a good prospect. Think truck driver, over the road and you will make a better decision on a career if that does not sound appealing. Good luck.
A couple of questions, Nate. According to your profile, you are about 24 years old, is that right? Are you married? Children? Planning to get married and have children?
I ask because as a young conductor with no seniority, life on the railroad is horrible for a young family man. You will be on call 24/7, be away from home on the road a lot and live out of a suitcase in various hotels and motels on the division where you end up working. You will miss birthdays, holidays, family gatherings...a LOT of things that are just lousy for a young family man.
On the other hand, if you are a single guy who is not in a serious relationship and not looking to get married anytime soon, working on the railroad can be an interesting adventure.
One other piece of advice, make sure you tell them of anything you have done with safety. Anything such as being a sfety leader, or being on a safety committee for ex. If you haven't make sure you emphasize that your willing to learn the safety side of the job, as well as the whole job. Show that you have researched the job and the company.
Bill
Rich brought up some good points. If your a young single guy it's a great job! If your married it can be tough some times! I hired out in 2008 and right after i got out of class i got laid off for 15 months! After that i have been working full time, this being said full time is like 50-60 hour weeks working most weekends and holidays. I don't want to scare you off, it's a great job, I just wish i would have known more about the job before i started. One thing i was thinking of was maybe personally driving down to the HR department of the railroad you were applying for and walking in and talking to them. Some of the major railroads have military recruiters too. See if you can e-mail them. Hope this helps out! Oh yeah, "Semper Fi" fellow Marine! Nate
NTT....I work and train along with new hires everyday in cle oh and a common thread is to be persistant..the military experience is a major plus which they like as the RR is loosely based on military structure.....keep trying ...good luck ! john
quote:I ask because as a young conductor with no seniority, life on the railroad is horrible for a young family man.
Rich keeps harping on this same doom & gloom over the years.
I have been with the same woman for over 42 years. 38 of those we have been married. We have five children and nine grand children. Take it from me, and I don't give a hoot what Rich thinks, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!
There are plenty of jobs out there that some will say are better or worse than a railroader's. All I can tell you is if you want it, go for it.
And as for missing birthdays, holidays, etc. etc. , remember, you can't stay awake twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and fifty two weeks a year. You've got to get some shut eye and that means you are going to miss something.
...I don't give a hoot what Rich thinks, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!
Good point, Jim. And what you said is very true, life is indeed what one chooses to make of it.
You and I are among the lucky ones. I have been married to The Lovely and Gracious Linda for 44 years this year. I am such a lucky guy!
Hi Big Jim, I think what Rich is trying to do is let people know that though RR life has alot of positive aspects about it a person looking to make it as a career should be armed with knowledge of it's demands.
As I stated above I never worked on the railroad but I did have a job where I had to be on the road for weeks and sometimes months on end. I would get home on a Friday night and then get a call from some project engineer that I was needed in another city on Monday night.
People would tell me how glamorus my job was, but truth be told every person man or woman who took the job because of the glamor never lasted more then a month.
As you do with the railroad I have had a great career and I loved much about it, but somethings get old quick if your head it not in the right place.
Harvey
You are so far off base. Sometimes you only hear one side of the story and by all means, those folks were never at fault in their eyes. The rules are written in blood and now today, the news rules are to protect the stupid. Been here long enough to know the difference( 35Years).
I would rather work for CSX than our neighbors at NS.
Gene
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