Looking Into the University of TN-NE Program

[UrsaMinorTN]

Hey guys, I am a brand new member here on this forum and am in need of some advice within the realm of NucEngineering within the general sense. I started college years back in 2008, but have since dropped out for lack of interest and a few other personal issues. I have been in the restaurant world ever since and, despite having the ability to make money every night, I started to research Engineering over the past year or so. This isn't something that I have chosen lightly or on a whim, by the way. I live about 35 minutes away from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and have had a keen/huge interest in their Nuke program. The advice I am looking for is mostly related to the quality of education that comes out of there and, with the interactions within ORNL and the student body, do you think it would be possible to get an internship within that field while I was at a smaller Community College? I will be turning 30 in September of this year and am looking for some mature advice about where to start, aside from the classes. Being that I have been out of school for awhile and starting at the bottom in regards to math and physics, I seem to be in a bit of a pickle with my age, or so I have read from numerous other forums and sources. I am practicing math and am going to learn to do some basic programming as soon as I find the best place to start. I know, I know! I should have started this path much, much earlier in regards to programming.

I guess I should also note that I know all about the core engineering disciplines that encompass most of the jobs that engineering grads are able to obtain. I'm just very much interested in the Nuke side of things. Then again, I have ORNL in my backyard and am hoping to gain the confidence and ability to use all that is presented in front of me.

However, I am willing to work harder than I ever have worked for something I am generally interested in. I will be taking classes again starting this fall with a friend of mine who is majoring in Physics. We are both a bit older and definitely more mature than the average student. We will both be taking the math and physics pre-reqs together and I couldn't be more excited to start. SO here goes: What is the best advice you could give me on the start of this journey that I am about to embark on?

 

[Jody]

So far as your internship question goes, I was able to do an internship at a NASA location while I was in community college. A lot of government teams have community college opportunities, and this is including ORNL (take a look at CCI).

I don't have any additional insight for your other questions, and I think my opinions are irrelevant. Good luck!

 

[UrsaMinorTN]

Hey man, thanks! If no one else ever adds anything to my questions, at least you gave me somewhere to start.