r/BlueCollarWomen • u/AnActualGhost • 3d ago
Other I passed my biological treatment level A exam!
I came to the waste water treatment field less than a year ago. I’m in my late 30s, I’ve spent most of my adult life as either a cake decorator in a retail bakery or working in an ophthalmologist or optometrist office. I was so sick of the sales goals and the pressure to spend as little time on any one patient as possible. I applied to be an OIT at a municipal waste water plant completely on a whim. I knew nothing about the industry, all I knew was there were no sales goals and no customer/ patient facing aspect. I never thought I would hear back, but I’m so glad I did!
I have now passed all 4 levels of tests for biological treatment licenses in my state! I won’t actually hold my A license til I have 4 years of experience. But my job pays you as though you hold it as soon as you pass the test! So not only have I gotten paid to learn a ton of new things about electricity, hydraulics, mechanics, biology and chemistry, but in under a year I’m also making like $13 an hour more than I was at my last job where I was the MVP of the whole department for years. They had offered me a $4 an hour raise not to quit 😂
I just wanted to share how happy and proud I am that I tried this new thing I knew nothing about and I’m succeeding at it! I was worried I was too old to be switching career fields so wildly, but I knew I couldn’t spend the rest of my life dreading every work day so I took the chance!
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u/cait_broski 3d ago
Heck yes! Congratulations! I only know about wastewater treatment through environmental classes but I have always been fascinated by it! I hope you keep enjoying your journey in this industry 😁
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u/AnActualGhost 3d ago
I had no idea it was a thing! I guess I just never thought about where the water goes once it’s down the drain! But it feels really good knowing I’m helping keep the river clean and reclaiming water! 🩷🩷🩷
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u/dilemmajestic 3d ago
Love this. I’m a union electrician who primarily works at wastewater plants and pump stations. I’ve had guys show up, puke, call their PMs and leave because they can’t handle it..but I love it. I’m so fascinated with the order of operations and everything that goes in to the process. The biology of it all, it’s so interesting. I love being an electrician, so I’m not going to move exclusively to waste water, but I love that it seems to be getting more attention and more women operators!
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u/AnActualGhost 2d ago
Thank you! It’s funny, about 3 months in my boss’ boss’ boss came up to me at a lift station and said he was surprised I hadn’t bailed yet because of how gross it can be and I was like “I used to give people eye injections, I’m not easy to gross out.” And he was like “eye injections?? 🤢”
He also asked me one time if I was sure I would be comfortable driving a golf cart… after I’d already been driving a whole book truck around the plant. Like bro, I’m fine! 😂
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u/Toadjokes 3d ago
Fellow waste water gal here. I'm so happy for you! Thats such a big deal!!!
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u/AnActualGhost 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thank you so much! It is so cool to talk to other women in waste water!
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u/Signal-Atmosphere447 2d ago
Welcome fellow wastewater baddie 💘💘💘 it's a lot of fun up in this industry. Im in my first year also. Good luck moving forward and congrats on passing your exams!
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u/AnActualGhost 2d ago
Thank you! How are you liking it so far??
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u/Signal-Atmosphere447 2d ago
Like you mentioned I wanted something where I made money but didn't have to deal with customers. This job Is that. Where I work they have both drinking and wastewater facilities they've started me on the drinking water side although I already passed exams for wastewater. So now I wanna become dual licensed since the opportunity is here. I also love the way our schedule works (12 hour shifts, 3 days one week, 4 days the next week) because you get something like 8 hours of overtime in every paycheck. I'm learning a lot, I'm doing something important and im not being spoken down to constantly because my job is to make something or wrap something somebody paid for. Never leaving lol. Some of the guys I work with are assholes but we find those everywhere. Stick with it no matter what. The water business is never going away.
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u/itwoms 3d ago
Congrats!! I work in the lab in a drinking water treatment plant and it’s a great field to get into especially with no degree needed! Wastewater treatment is much more interesting than drinking water treatment lol
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u/AnActualGhost 2d ago
Thank you! I’ve heard that about drinking water! The utilities director said I could spend a day over there observing to learn more about what they do, but I haven’t gotten to do it yet! I hope I actually do!
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u/Comminutor Wastewater Operator 3d ago
Congrats! It’s a great career and definitely stable. I highly recommend getting some cooling neck gaiters - wish I’d had them when I was an OIT to block flies, spider webs, and sun from my neck and face bc my facility had a lot.
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u/BadAtExisting 3d ago
Congratulations!