A Boiling Water Reactor schematic. This one is SOOO much cooler than the black and white schematics we fixed. Ours were just Xerox copies.
General Electric builds boiling water reactors (BWR), a type of nuclear power plant. I drew fixed the seriously degraded schematics that trained the new power plant employees.
No, I’m not a nuclear scientist. I’m not an electrician. I had skills as a pen and ink artist. That’s it.
Yes, that should scare you.
No, I was not an exception. None of us working there had any experience in nuclear power or electrical backgrounds.
My step-mother wrote the technical documents that went with the schematics. She didn’t have any experience in nuclear power or electronics either.
Oh, I almost forgot – I was a teenager.
AND they gave me a fairly high security clearance.
HA! So much for thorough background checks.
On the news this morning they mentioned there’s a new computer worm specifically designed to attack nuclear power plants and utilities. Stuxnet is the name of the malicious software. (Industrial Virus Revives Power Grid Hacking Fears.)
Really Hackers/Terrorists? It’s totally lame of you to have wasted all that time developing some software – one that has been detected, mind you. All you had to do was send some kid down there to apply for a job. Any job.
I was a teenager with no real skills. This was my first real job that wasn’t babysitter or Radio Shack clerk. (Supposedly, drinking doesn’t count as a skill. Whatever.) I started out copying the manuals and documents. My supervisor at GE Nuclear taught me to draw in pen and ink after I got the job.
It’s not exactly a well-guarded secret facility. Seriously Terrorists/Hackers, do a little research before investing all that time developing software. Any kid could get in.
you’re just the sexiest schematic-fixing girl i know! damn, you’ve had an interesting career life. rock on.
pattypunker’s last post ..calypso fairy tale
‘Interesting’ it has been (said with a touch of sarcasm). I think the only job I haven’t had (yet) is exotic dancer.
Happy Beer Day!
BRay’s last post ..Raise A Glass!
Happy Mustard Day!
I had mustard, but skipped the beer.
Im equal parts impressed and frightened at the sametime. =]
Holly B’s last post ..Redneck Funerals – If Theres Not A Fist Fight- Youre Doing It Wrong
Aww shucks, no need to be impressed… any teenager could get in. Be afraid, be very afraid. (not of me, of the security in the US.)
Holy crap, that is totally impressive!
I feel dumb….
Brahm (alfred lives here)’s last post ..Driving With Pringles And Other Stuff I Learned This Week
Aww, shucks, please don’t be impressed… I was just an average partying teenager. Seriously, if I could get in – anyone could.
[...] to think, I used to draw the schematics from which the U.S. nuclear power plant operators trained. Yup. I’ll give ya a minute to let that one sink [...]
[...] wasn’t enough, the power plants in Japan are all melting down. Some of you may recall that I used to draw schematics for General Electric’s Boiling Water Reactors (BWR). (Yes I did, and yes you should be afraid.) It is one of GE’s BWRs that is melting down at [...]
[...] things that just don’t seem to happen to “normal” folks. Like the job I had where I drew schematics for nuclear power plants. Or the time I was rescued by Martin Sheen. Or when I dated exiled royalty. I could go on but then [...]