by johnnyrr
Laid up in bed fresh off of knee surgery, I decided it was time for a career change after being in the HVAC industry for 27 years. I chose the rail road industry because I knew it was the industry that could best utilize my skills (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Pipefitting). Me and the wife had been looking to move to Montana, and have been taking trips there for a few years, so when I saw an opening for a BNSF Conductor Trainee position in Whitefish, MT, I jumped on it! We packed up the kids, and my wife drove us for 20 hrs (Because of my knee, I couldn't drive) till we landed at our friends house in Columbia Falls. The next day, I went to the interview session, and got a conditional offer, but was placed on "Medical Hold" due to my knee. After a little more than a month, they rescinded their offer because I couldn't make their start date since my knee wasn't healed up enough for me to start working. So, I applied at Union Pacific for a Diesel Engine Electrician position out of Colton, CA about an hour from my house. I went to the interview session, and got the conditional offer. I thought "Boom" I will be working in a few weeks, Wrong! Because of a couple surgeries I had, I went on a 4-month wild goose chase of hunting down medical reports all over southern California. I thought the medical process with Union Pacific was never going to end, so I kept looking for employment elsewhere. During the whole UP medical fiasco, I applied with Montana Rail Link for a Diesel Engine Electrician position out of Livingston, MT. When MRL called, and wanted to set up a phone interview, I was more than stoked! I had the phone interview, and a few days later, they wanted me to have a face-to-face interview at the Livingston shop. So, once again, me and the wife flew up to Bozeman, left the airport, and went straight to the Livingston shop for my interview. I want to mention, that the same day I flew up to MT, Union Pacific called me and said that my medical had finally cleared, and that they wanted me to start "THE NEXT DAY". Well, I bought myself 3-weeks time, and had a great interview with MRL, and when I toured the shop, I was in awww! About a week later, I got a call from MRL, and they gave me a conditional offer. I was doing back flips, and the first thing I did was rescind my employment with UP. During the MRL phone interview, I found out that there was only one position open for the job I was applying for, so when I got the offer, I was pretty humbled to say the least. I am proud to say now, that I will be moving & starting my new job with MRL next month. What a ride this has been, don't ever give up, and seriously, I don't care if you are the most manly man out there that has wood chips in his beard & snorts grease for breakfast, wear a damn shirt & tie to the interview sessions!
