Degrees to help get into the railroad
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mike nowakowski
- Railroadfan...fan
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:48 pm
- Location: Leonard MI
Degrees to help get into the railroad
What degrees help get in the railraod? Looking for some classes to take that could help start my railroad career.
Love all class 1 railroads in USA and Canada, and short lines in michigan
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Please, Check out my youtube acount its http://www.youtube.com/MTNRailProductions
Train Stuff and pictures and such: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikenowakowski/
Re: Degrees to help get into the railroad
Depends on what you want to get into.
Signal Department: Electronic's Background. One aspect that they have difficulty hiring for is communications maintainers, so a background with electronics and radios and you can be a communications maintainer. With the apparent forced implementation of PTC, this is one field where hiring is going to grow by leaps and bounds, and the technology isn't going to result in the department becoming obsolete.
Track Department: Grunt MOW Workers are hired from the street. For Roadmaster's they want something with construction, Civil Engineering, or MOW background. Again, always going to have to run trains on tracks, tracks that require upkeep. More trains, more upkeep needed. Good department to get into.
Transportation: Business degrees. Logistics. Heck, Trainmaster Trainee program they'll take anyone with a heart beat. I like to joke that the last batch had velcro work books when they showed up. There will always be a need for T&E, but with PTC (and the need to recoup the investment), you're going to see a reduction in the T&E personnel. Which is funny. T&E is the only occupation that is actually making the railroad money. They are the ones switching customers, spotting cars, and safely moving the trains, which generates revenues. Every other job on the railroad supports this task, and is an expense. When times get tough, need to trim the budgets, T&E is the first department cut. If you want to go this route, get a degree, work as a conductor, then go into the management trainee program. You'll garner more respect because you've done the dirty work, and it will give you a healthy appreciation of what goes on.
But, in all actuality, if you have a degree they'll take you. They may not stick you into a department you want, so be prepared. CSX at least now has training programs geared towards a particular department. They just want to see that degree because it means you can be trained. Seems to be a very big emphasis on military background right now. They want someone who is used to taking orders without question. Works well till that person tries to pass those orders on, and this isn't the military where we don't have to 'blindly' follow orders.
Finally, if you want to get into management on the railroad, you better be able to handle a HIGH level of BS. We're talking a barge full of BS on a daily basis. There is never a shortage of BS on the railroad, and if something makes sense, we're probably not going to do it. This place defies logic, and we almost make money inspite of ourselves.
Practice Safe CSX
Signal Department: Electronic's Background. One aspect that they have difficulty hiring for is communications maintainers, so a background with electronics and radios and you can be a communications maintainer. With the apparent forced implementation of PTC, this is one field where hiring is going to grow by leaps and bounds, and the technology isn't going to result in the department becoming obsolete.
Track Department: Grunt MOW Workers are hired from the street. For Roadmaster's they want something with construction, Civil Engineering, or MOW background. Again, always going to have to run trains on tracks, tracks that require upkeep. More trains, more upkeep needed. Good department to get into.
Transportation: Business degrees. Logistics. Heck, Trainmaster Trainee program they'll take anyone with a heart beat. I like to joke that the last batch had velcro work books when they showed up. There will always be a need for T&E, but with PTC (and the need to recoup the investment), you're going to see a reduction in the T&E personnel. Which is funny. T&E is the only occupation that is actually making the railroad money. They are the ones switching customers, spotting cars, and safely moving the trains, which generates revenues. Every other job on the railroad supports this task, and is an expense. When times get tough, need to trim the budgets, T&E is the first department cut. If you want to go this route, get a degree, work as a conductor, then go into the management trainee program. You'll garner more respect because you've done the dirty work, and it will give you a healthy appreciation of what goes on.
But, in all actuality, if you have a degree they'll take you. They may not stick you into a department you want, so be prepared. CSX at least now has training programs geared towards a particular department. They just want to see that degree because it means you can be trained. Seems to be a very big emphasis on military background right now. They want someone who is used to taking orders without question. Works well till that person tries to pass those orders on, and this isn't the military where we don't have to 'blindly' follow orders.
Finally, if you want to get into management on the railroad, you better be able to handle a HIGH level of BS. We're talking a barge full of BS on a daily basis. There is never a shortage of BS on the railroad, and if something makes sense, we're probably not going to do it. This place defies logic, and we almost make money inspite of ourselves.
Practice Safe CSX
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Raildudes dad
- Roadmaster
- Posts: 4761
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 9:12 am
- Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Re: Degrees to help get into the railroad
If you like civil engineering type stuff, check out MI Tech' railroad program. Shorthaul was intersted and planning on gong there, Trevor of the Trussel brothers will be attending there this fall. My niece's boyfriend graduated from MTU with a civil degree and now is the BNSF system grinding train supervisor. Feel free to ask about Tech, either here or by PM.