I made it down to Atlanta and got settled in last night. We are staying at a hotel about 30 minutes from the CSX REDI center. It's not a bad place. Lots of new restaurants and business parks here in this area. I was able to scope out the area this evening, and although I almost got lost, I did manage to find things that I can enjoy while I'm down here, including my favorite, Barnes and Noble.
We had to be down to catch the bus at about 6 this morning. A few guys were outside smoking, and after I grabbed my complimentary breakfast and cup of the most awful water-flavored coffee, I made my way out talk to them.
Some of the guys out there rode the shuttle back from the airport with me. An ex-military guy and a couple sheet metal workers from up in New York were discussing the ins and outs of their particular yards. Another military guy from Illinois, filled me in on how our seniority would be established. When we ended up getting to school, he joked about finally finding out what was true, and what wasn't.
We made our way into the break room first thing, where are future instructors corralled us, and guided us down to our classrooms. All the desks were neatly arranged, with a name tag at each spot, and a stack of books that will serve as our bibles for the railroad throughout our career.
The room was divided between north and south agreements for each respective union. The first thing to be established was our seniority. It was based on birth date, and being a little older than the average applicant, I made out pretty well with #8 from the top out of the 32 that came to class. The seniority system that they in place for the south was strange. They had everyone line up by birth order. Then, they had them pick a poker chip out of a hat with a number on it. This number determined what order they would pick their seniority order number from the hat. I guess it leveled the playing field for those guys so being older didn't have an advantage, but I'm not complaining about how I ended up.
During the seniority selection, I ran into a couple of guys who are going to the same rail yard I am, and ended up sitting with them in class. All in all, the guys seem pretty nice, with personalities that are a mixture of country and military (and in some cases, a splash of West Coast Choppers). I think I'm going to enjoy working with them.
After all was said and done, lots of orientation stuff to get through, with benefits and tax forms, etc. I'll have my hands full for the next few weeks that's for sure, but it'll be worth it in the end!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Boarding Will Begin in Approximately 24 Hours
Well, this is it. As with any new endeavor, I have these feelings of nervousness, excitement, and curiosity. In reality, I'm scared. Change always brings out these same emotions in me, and generally speaking, I'll feel this way for the next couple of weeks. Finding solace in places that are familiar to me has always been beneficial to me when I make a change like this. So, what exactly am I doing? Good question, but first, some back story.
For the past five years, I've been a baker at a local restaurant here in town while I finished my college degree, (I'm the short, bald guy).
For all intents and purposes, I loved my restaurant life. I know this may cause some questions concerning my present mental state, and well, you are probably right to question. The restaurant world is a brutal place that relentlessly consumes the best of you during the day. To live this life and enjoy it probably indicates more than mental illness, perhaps some sort of genetic mutation equipping you to deal with and enjoy a life like this. Had circumstances been different, I would be there, now, sweating it out over a 550 degree oven, perhaps even writing a baker's blog instead of this one for the railroad.
Life has a funny way getting us to change direction as we get moving. Over the past 6 months, we have been working on opening a new restaurant. The restaurant where I work was seeking a way to reinvent itself, allowing it to compete more effectively in a very competitive market place.
This required a lot of extra work and a little faith in the system, faith which ultimately didn't come through for me. I got nervous over the new concept, and all the delays associated with the opening (almost 3 months worth). In a fit of depression over the way things were going with the new restaurant, I applied everywhere I could. I applied to other restaurants, to accounting jobs (which is what my degree is), jobs with local banks, everything I could think of applying for, I did. Enter CSX.
One Saturday, I was looking through a list of local jobs on indeed.com. I saw post for Norfolk Southern, one of the Big Four railroads here in the US. I began reading the job description for Conductor and thought, "hey, what the hell." I applied. I went to two out of the other three railroads (CSX and BNSF) and applied for conductor jobs as well. I didn't really think I'd hear anything back from them and went about my normal day to day life as though nothing had really changed.
A couple of weeks later, I got a letter from CSX, inviting me to a job interview within the next week, for a rail yard about two hours away. Knowing now that the prospect of getting a job on the railroad was a real possibility, I called my uncle who had spent 35 years with the railroad and picked his brain. I must have called 15 times over the next few days, getting advice on the interview, asking him about the conductor life, etc. His advice was invaluable, and am truly grateful for it.
I arrived at the interview as prepared as I could be. I went in expecting a large mass of people and an event that would take all day. I got there, and only fifteen people had been emailed to interview. I suddenly felt a little more confident at my chances of success. After completing the interview, I headed home and waited for the phone call.
Our interview had been on a Friday. They told us that we would hear something later that evening, or by Monday morning at the latest. By Monday evening, I resigned myself to the fact that I didn't get the job. Tuesday, everything changed.
I got the call early in the afternoon, a conditional offer of employment pending medical and physical fitness passes. I was elated! I scheduled everything as quickly as I could, completed all the required paperwork and bam, here I am sitting at the Port Columbus Terminal waiting on a plane to Atlanta for training.
So, what started off as an application for a job I didn't really think I was going to get, ended up budding here into a promising career, a way out of my perceived fears associated with my restaurant. I intend to make this a journey for everyone interested in what it's like to live a life on the rails from the initial stages on up through. I know things may not always be the way I tell it for everyone, but they will be this way for me. Tomorrow, the boarding begins, and I think it's going to be an exciting ride!
For the past five years, I've been a baker at a local restaurant here in town while I finished my college degree, (I'm the short, bald guy).
Life has a funny way getting us to change direction as we get moving. Over the past 6 months, we have been working on opening a new restaurant. The restaurant where I work was seeking a way to reinvent itself, allowing it to compete more effectively in a very competitive market place.
This required a lot of extra work and a little faith in the system, faith which ultimately didn't come through for me. I got nervous over the new concept, and all the delays associated with the opening (almost 3 months worth). In a fit of depression over the way things were going with the new restaurant, I applied everywhere I could. I applied to other restaurants, to accounting jobs (which is what my degree is), jobs with local banks, everything I could think of applying for, I did. Enter CSX.
One Saturday, I was looking through a list of local jobs on indeed.com. I saw post for Norfolk Southern, one of the Big Four railroads here in the US. I began reading the job description for Conductor and thought, "hey, what the hell." I applied. I went to two out of the other three railroads (CSX and BNSF) and applied for conductor jobs as well. I didn't really think I'd hear anything back from them and went about my normal day to day life as though nothing had really changed.
A couple of weeks later, I got a letter from CSX, inviting me to a job interview within the next week, for a rail yard about two hours away. Knowing now that the prospect of getting a job on the railroad was a real possibility, I called my uncle who had spent 35 years with the railroad and picked his brain. I must have called 15 times over the next few days, getting advice on the interview, asking him about the conductor life, etc. His advice was invaluable, and am truly grateful for it.
I arrived at the interview as prepared as I could be. I went in expecting a large mass of people and an event that would take all day. I got there, and only fifteen people had been emailed to interview. I suddenly felt a little more confident at my chances of success. After completing the interview, I headed home and waited for the phone call.
Our interview had been on a Friday. They told us that we would hear something later that evening, or by Monday morning at the latest. By Monday evening, I resigned myself to the fact that I didn't get the job. Tuesday, everything changed.
I got the call early in the afternoon, a conditional offer of employment pending medical and physical fitness passes. I was elated! I scheduled everything as quickly as I could, completed all the required paperwork and bam, here I am sitting at the Port Columbus Terminal waiting on a plane to Atlanta for training.
So, what started off as an application for a job I didn't really think I was going to get, ended up budding here into a promising career, a way out of my perceived fears associated with my restaurant. I intend to make this a journey for everyone interested in what it's like to live a life on the rails from the initial stages on up through. I know things may not always be the way I tell it for everyone, but they will be this way for me. Tomorrow, the boarding begins, and I think it's going to be an exciting ride!
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