CSX Freight Conductor and School

First of all, why do you need to use your G.I. Bill when CSX pays for REDI for you...

Second, where are you going to be working and how big is your terminal. How many people do they have, how many are in OJT/Redi in front of you / or how many are in REDI/OJT for your entire division. These factors all affect furlough. The more people they need, the less your chances are for furlough. If you got hired at the bottom of the ladder and you are the last group hiring to your location, you might be in trouble. Most locations loose business in the winter but you will probably finish OJT after spring starts, you should be fine but you might get furloughed next winter. Furloughs for winter time usually last all winter and you probably wont get called back till spring starts when business picks up again. Remember, farming shuts down for the winter, and that's half of our customers. Furlough is complicated and cannot be predicted. You might get lucky, some terminals are short on people. I know ohio is requesting permanent transfers because they are so undermanned right now. You might get lucky, a lot of people are looming around retirement and if they go a lot of slots will open up. YOU WILL GET FURLOUGHED! There is no escaping it. I am currently in OJT and from what I have seen, everybody has been furloughed at least once. It is a guarantee and you need to be ready for it.

Doing online classes while employed is easily doable, just remember you have tests to study for in OJT. Online classes at the REDI will not happen. First, lets hope your hotel has WIFI. Second, you get hammered with so much information, you get quizzes every day, and tests every week. You will be so busy studying for your REDI tests you will not have time to do anything else. I had an easy time at the REDI because I am smart and have good memory, had plenty of time to watch TV. But even I probably would not have had time for online classes at the REDI.

Prior military helps a ton, you have the discipline they are looking for. You know how to tough it out and work when it gets rough. You know how to work in bad weather. You got a lot of qualities they want. A ton of people at my terminal are veterans, and lots of them are still in the reserves serving on weekends.

Hope this helps, I am in OJT out of Greenwood, SC. Let me know if you need any more help.

sharik2073 wrote:First of all, why do you need to use your G.I. Bill when CSX pays for REDI for you...

Second, where are you going to be working and how big is your terminal. How many people do they have, how many are in OJT/Redi in front of you / or how many are in REDI/OJT for your entire division. These factors all affect furlough. The more people they need, the less your chances are for furlough. If you got hired at the bottom of the ladder and you are the last group hiring to your location, you might be in trouble. Most locations loose business in the winter but you will probably finish OJT after spring starts, you should be fine but you might get furloughed next winter. Furloughs for winter time usually last all winter and you probably wont get called back till spring starts when business picks up again. Remember, farming shuts down for the winter, and that's half of our customers. Furlough is complicated and cannot be predicted. You might get lucky, some terminals are short on people. I know ohio is requesting permanent transfers because they are so undermanned right now. You might get lucky, a lot of people are looming around retirement and if they go a lot of slots will open up. YOU WILL GET FURLOUGHED! There is no escaping it. I am currently in OJT and from what I have seen, everybody has been furloughed at least once. It is a guarantee and you need to be ready for it.

Doing online classes while employed is easily doable, just remember you have tests to study for in OJT. Online classes at the REDI will not happen. First, lets hope your hotel has WIFI. Second, you get hammered with so much information, you get quizzes every day, and tests every week. You will be so busy studying for your REDI tests you will not have time to do anything else. I had an easy time at the REDI because I am smart and have good memory, had plenty of time to watch TV. But even I probably would not have had time for online classes at the REDI.

Prior military helps a ton, you have the discipline they are looking for. You know how to tough it out and work when it gets rough. You know how to work in bad weather. You got a lot of qualities they want. A ton of people at my terminal are veterans, and lots of them are still in the reserves serving on weekends.

Hope this helps, I am in OJT out of Greenwood, SC. Let me know if you need any more help.

You may indeed be smart and have a wonderful memory. But, do not forget the historic beat down we Northern Boys handed you guys in Railroad Jeopardy.

trekker wrote:

sharik2073 wrote:First of all, why do you need to use your G.I. Bill when CSX pays for REDI for you...

Second, where are you going to be working and how big is your terminal. How many people do they have, how many are in OJT/Redi in front of you / or how many are in REDI/OJT for your entire division. These factors all affect furlough. The more people they need, the less your chances are for furlough. If you got hired at the bottom of the ladder and you are the last group hiring to your location, you might be in trouble. Most locations loose business in the winter but you will probably finish OJT after spring starts, you should be fine but you might get furloughed next winter. Furloughs for winter time usually last all winter and you probably wont get called back till spring starts when business picks up again. Remember, farming shuts down for the winter, and that's half of our customers. Furlough is complicated and cannot be predicted. You might get lucky, some terminals are short on people. I know ohio is requesting permanent transfers because they are so undermanned right now. You might get lucky, a lot of people are looming around retirement and if they go a lot of slots will open up. YOU WILL GET FURLOUGHED! There is no escaping it. I am currently in OJT and from what I have seen, everybody has been furloughed at least once. It is a guarantee and you need to be ready for it.

Doing online classes while employed is easily doable, just remember you have tests to study for in OJT. Online classes at the REDI will not happen. First, lets hope your hotel has WIFI. Second, you get hammered with so much information, you get quizzes every day, and tests every week. You will be so busy studying for your REDI tests you will not have time to do anything else. I had an easy time at the REDI because I am smart and have good memory, had plenty of time to watch TV. But even I probably would not have had time for online classes at the REDI.

Prior military helps a ton, you have the discipline they are looking for. You know how to tough it out and work when it gets rough. You know how to work in bad weather. You got a lot of qualities they want. A ton of people at my terminal are veterans, and lots of them are still in the reserves serving on weekends.

Hope this helps, I am in OJT out of Greenwood, SC. Let me know if you need any more help.

You may indeed be smart and have a wonderful memory. But, do not forget the historic beat down we Northern Boys handed you guys in Railroad Jeopardy.

Oh......you shouldn't 've opened THAT box, my friend! And what does "a historic beatdown" have to do with the subject anyway. True, that happened back in 1865, but speaking of short memories............... The "northern boys" speak so highly of the mighty Pennsylvania that was so "smart" it no longer exists except in memory. What DOES exist and run the northern territories once so mighty? CSX and Norfolk Southern. Pennsylvania was in such a mess it merged into Penn Central, but it, too, was filled with that "yankee ingenuity" and a mindset that took it to the ground, too! The government sorted it into Conrail, and, yep, it STILL had that same mindset and was about to fail as well--and would've if it hadn't 'a had a government teat to suck on. Enter one L. Stanley Crane, former CEO of----brace yourself-------SOUTHERN Railway who went N'awth to show them yankees how to run a railroad! A lean, MEAN railroad that could stand on its own two feet like the smaller, but savvy railroad Mr Crane came from. Southern Railway System had a number of credentials that brought reluctant admiration from other roads, and a tendency to think out of the box. It developed many innovations for the industry, including the Cushion Coupler, and consistently made a profit for its stockholders (and the employees like me who enjoyed a great stock purchase plan while stock SPLIT a number of times rapidly and regularly. It remained in Standard & Poors as not only one of the top corporations in the US, but one of the ONLY railroads to do so! It was known as the Railroad that "Gives a Green Light to Innovations" and showed the public that they should "Look Ahead-Look South"! In fact, in 1971, when Southern was still running a first-class passenger train, I believe it was Graham Claytor who told Amtrak they could go to Hell; before they'd tell Southern Railway what to do, he'd run the Crescent for FREE, lose 2 million a year if he had to because Southern could AFFORD to do it while other "oh-so-smart" roads were bleeding in fiscal agony! He'd be damned if Amtrak was going to foul up his Rat Hole Division with passenger trains while his freight trains had to clear up for varnish!

And that, sir, is the railroad on which I proudly hired out to back in the 70's, and that same stubborn, mean, lean spirit lives on on Pennsy rails in the form of Norfolk Southern.

Now don't take offense at me for this little "jab", its all in fun. True, but in fun!

GF

LesoVerin wrote:I know csx pays for redi. I am uaing my gi bill now going to school. I am not a csz employee. Hopefully I will be. I applied for a conductor spot in evensville indiana. I did not get selected for the hiring event but the job came back open yeatersay and I aplied again. I hope I get selected for an interview this time. I was just wondering if I get this job if I had to quit going to school online.

You should be alright. I know others working for the railroad furthering an education online. You'll just have to find time to do it. During training at REDI it might get a little rough a lot of studying. Then after REDI back at your home terminal on OJT you should have time to dedicate a couple hours a day at home or in lodging for your online work.

The $43,000 is just a general figure. Depends on the work situation in Evansville it could be more or less. The begining years could mean furloughs till gaining seniority. Work everything you can save some money. Just about everyone goes through it in the begining for up to 3-5 years.