Hi All,

I have been going through r/nuclear, r/NuclearPower , r/NavyNukes, and nukeworker forum these past few weeks and I was able to gather a good amount of information, however, I have some additional questions that some of you might be able to answer.

Just a little bit of background, I graduated with a Chemical Engineering degree from an ABET-accredited university in 2021. Since then, I worked for 12 months as an R&D Engineer running a polymer pilot plant (2021 - 2022). After that, I worked as an engineering consultant in Indonesia for about 9 months where I helped with a manufacturing floor renovation, obtaining new licenses from a government body, trained employees on the new work process, and improving the manufacturing process. During all this time, from 2017, I was running a small import/export business until today.

Now, after my research from said subreddits and forums, I learned that it may be possible for me to get into the direct SRO pipeline because I have an engineering degree - first, I wanted to ensure my understanding is right and that someone can help confirm this based on my experience above.

Second, assuming that my assumption above is correct, I have a list of miscellaneous questions that I could not find answers to:

1. How difficult would it be for someone like myself to obtain an interview for a direct SRO based on the work experience I have and the nuclear power plant job market now?
2. What does the typical hiring process look like (i.e. how long does it take to hear from job application/job interview/security clearance; when do we start taking tests such as the POSS/BMST?)
3. I saw that the compensation ranged anywhere from $130k - $170k for licensed SROs, is this true for people who are still training to be an SRO? (Or is the range even correct?)
4. I have some personal debt and some business debt all of which were from running a business (approx. ~50k). Will this be a problem from a security clearance perspective?

I have been interested in working in the nuclear field but was unable to pursue this due to familial health issues. Now that the health issues have been resolved, I am looking to pivot into this field and invest all my effort to establish my career in the Nuclear energy field. I know the long hours and difficult/stressful working conditions and I am willing to put in the necessary hours to pass the necessary tests. I have applied to the following companies that had "Supervisor trainee" or "SRO trainee" type roles available:

1. Westinghouse
2. Dominion Energy
3. Constellation
4. STP Nuclear Operating Company
5. PSEG
6. Orion
7. Ameren
8. Duke Energy (This was the only Nuclear Engineer role)
9. Southern Company
10. Entergy
11. Energy Harbor
12. TerraPower
13. Nebraska Public Power
14. Holtec International

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where else I could apply for a direct SRO other than the companies listed above? I look forward to hearing all your comments, thank you for reading!