I don’t know if this is a great place to post this, but I guess we’ll see.
I am looking for some insight and just a general opinion of a career with one of the railroads. I’m a college student in my very early 20’s, and I used to be a Computer Aided Drafting major before deciding that staring at a computer all day wasn’t something I wanted to do full time. If I had to pick two general areas for a career, it would be 1. Something Transportation related 2. Music. Unfortunately, a career in music is kind of a “yeah… but how will you make a living?” job field, so I don’t see that happening.
I have always been interested in the railroad, but I really don’t have much of an idea of the kinds of careers/jobs available. Are there any jobs that are college related where you work around the actual trains, but maybe aren’t a conductor, etc.? As far as I can tell, those jobs are management and that is about it.
I really just would love and appreciate any information that any of you have into a actual job with a railroad.
My dob didn’t require a degree. But I got the job because I needed a break from college education. Guess I still do, 38 years later.
Anyway, the best thing I can suggest is to consult the web sites of the railroads for employment opportunities. UP’s, at least, will offer you a description (kind of vague) of the job, and the educational requirements. That would be a start–then come back and ask if something looks good to you.
Oh…my daughter is going for a Master’s and dictorate in musicology (she already has a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance).
A Lot of the railroads are looking for intermodal Hub Managers and Trainmasters who are right out of college .
Most of your CAD degree would probably transfer over to an Engineering major, which could move you into the physical plant of the railroad, versus the transportation portion.
By the way, you gotta learn the basics before you can excel in the higher ranks. This applies to any career field in the railroad. There’s no way to be an effective manager, engineer (not the choo-choo type… track/geography/physical plant type engineer) without having “done the basics” first.
Take a look at the NS’ web page concerning management trainees under the careers section. http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Job%20Seekers/Management%20Trainees/ . This will give you a run down on the type of college majors they and other Class 1 are seeking. The second step after getting into one of these to programs is to decide if you like working in a large organization and if you are good at managing people and/or things.
BNSF, NS and UP have these programs. They are invaluable as a stepping stone for a future in any type of railroading or logistics.
Keep something else in mind too.
On the transportation side of railroading, many of the best field managers and people who work at headquarters in some kind of service design, transportation management, or terminal operations management came up through the ranks. They started as switchmen/brakemen/conductors, advanced to yardmasters, and then became field officers, i.e., trainmasters and division superintendents. Also, train dispatcher is another way of getting into the nitty-gritty of railroad operations - and it’s another foundation upon which to build an advancing railroad career.
Switchmen, brakemen, conductors, locomotive engineers, and yardmasters are craft positions in which employees establish seniority dates. As long as an employee stays with the same railroad, he or she can advance as far up the management ranks as talent and opportunities will permit; but, craft seniority continues to build and is always there to fall back on.
Depending on the craft and the railroad, craft seniority usually means employment in a limited geographic area. This could be one state, multiple terminals 500-to-600 miles apart, or maybe even system wide. So always carefully consider where it is that you’d like to live for the rest of your life before jumping at the first employment opportunity that comes along. If you’re a thin-blooded cajun, you probably wouldn’t be happy in Cut Bank, Mont. If you’re a hip east coaster widda Joisey or Noo Yawk attitude, El Paso, Tex. might not be your cup of tea.