I don't mean to discourage you, sounds like you're doing what you want to do. I did railroad recruiting, and what they want to see is previous experience. For instance, if you want to be a track worker, what kinds of heavy equipment have you operated? Have a Class B CDL? Done outdoor work? Can you fix something in the field? Weld? Every one of those adds to your chances, because that's what they actually do out there.
Reason they want to know this is because training and physicals and background checks and drug screens all cost money, and a lot of buffs get disillusioned when they actually gotta grunt. We had a guy on one railroad I worked for that actually cussed the crew caller on his first early morning call off the board and went back to bed. After saying yes, yes, yes, I understand I'll work all hours of the day, no problem.
So experienced managers in transportation are usually looking for someone who's already worked nights and worked outside. Airline workers, truck drivers, loggers, construction, military, outdoor guides... all look good. For example, if you want to be a dispatcher and you did air traffic control, you've got a good shot. They're looking for some coherence between what you've actually done and what you're applying for. Some white collar guys do well in class and turn into tanglefoot out on the property. Here's an odd one: prison admins do very well on rules because they're used to keeping up with ever-changing regs.
So if you're sincere about getting a job and don't care about the dough, good on ya. But get those physical skills down as well as the book stuff. And working part time as a driver or something in transportation won't hurt either, especially if it sort of relates to what you're applying for and has some late hours. You need something to point to that shows you've already handled some of the concerns they will have.
Also, I've worked with NARS grads. Some are very good, some meh. What's important is you, how much you get out of what they offer and how much of it you can let go of when you hit the real world. Let the training inform you, but not rule you.