Evolution of Nuclear Power Training

[u/Smooth-Bad-5425]

This post is mainly for the folks that spent at least a 20 yr active duty career in the nuclear power program over a few years ranges:

1980-2000;

1990-2010;

2000-2020; and

2010-present

What I'm curious about is whether over the time period from 1980 to the present, the nuclear power program changed such as difficulty & entrance requirements.

For data purposes, I was an ET from 1986-1992. Back in 1986, ETs went through Basic Electronics & Electricity for around two months or so where we learned all about the subject and went through circuit board troubleshooting. ET "A" school had antenna theory, transistors & tube, and the SPS-10 radar system (not very nuclear related at all). For the newer folks, ET "A" school for nukes back then was 2200-0600 daily. That was rough. Nuke school was probably similar to current academics and prototype was attended at either Idaho, Ballston Spa, or Windsor CT.

If anyone can chime in and give me program info over the years that would be much appreciated.

In summary, I have a feeling that making it through the training pipeline is more difficult now than what it was 40 yrs ago (that is such a depressing idea!).

Thanks!

[u/New_Mammoth2254]

Powerschool is easy AF now. 70+% require no more than 15-2s to get over a 3.0 . If you fail comp you recomp. If you fail recomp you get an academic board where they feed you the answers. Basically impossible to fail academically. Before you get to that point they've probably rolled you back already so you see most of the material twice. Not nearly as hard as I've heard it used to be...

[u/Redfish680 → u/New_Mammoth2254]

So no need to bone up on Avogadro’s Number anymore?!

[u/Navynuke00 → u/Redfish680]

I scored a 4 on the IB Chem exam and very nearly majored in chemistry after I got out of the Navy, and whatever they were trying to teach us in power school just seriously fucked me up for a long time.

[u/Sanearoudy → u/Navynuke00]

I didn't take chemistry in high school (or college the first time around) so the first "chemistry" course I took was in power school. Then I took General Chemistry 1 and already knew 95% of the material. My professor used a standardized Gen Chem 1 test as our final and graded it on a curve. Because the test included some nuclear concepts that he hadn't taught, I totally blew the curve. Based on my final exam grade (113% if I remember correctly,) he must have not included me when deciding on the curve. Which is all to say I don't feel like what we learned in power school screwed up my chemistry knowledge!

[u/purezero101 → u/Sanearoudy]

I interviewed well enough to land a job as a lab chemist in biotech after I got out and then realized how narrow a scope of chemistry the Navy teaches. I had to take two semesters of O Chem at night to even halfway understand what was going on in the lab.

[u/Sanearoudy → u/purezero101]

My Navy knowledge didn't help much in Gen Chem 2 and I'm sure it wouldn't help with O Chem. Not that I have plans to ever take O Chem! It is EVIL!