u/Comfortable_Length39

Posted on here about a week ago with a very similar question

Everyone was very helpful and I am very appreciative! Now I'm sort of in between becoming a conductor or a locomotive engineer. I have some questions below if anyone is willing to answer any of them. I'll be honest some of these are stupid

1. As a conductor, is dealing with the public any more exhausting than dealing with them relative to roles such as retail? Like if a fight breaks out (as I have seen happen on the train), are you required to step in?
2. During the AC trainee program, but especially the locomotive engineer trainee program, does one make enough money from that alone? If not, are you given enough time to work a part-time job?
3. How often does the LIRR hire conductors and engineers?
4. I read that once you become a conductor and/or engineer, you are retested yearly. Do you find that these tests are about as hard as your first S&D exam?
5. For engineers and conductors: is it possible at any point to get a "normal schedule"? if so, how long did this take you?
6. For engineers: since, you do not work with the public, do you still get a good amount of interaction each day such as from the crew?
7. Someone asked about dating life for locomotive engineers. At first I laughed but then I realized that's not a crazy concern. am i cooked if i pursue this? (not a very important question just throwing it out there)
8. Also not a very important question and I really don't need to know this until further down the line, but during the qualification process will I be given a pass to Hillside, or will I need to buy my own ticket?

Thanks!

Hi, I currently have a family plan and I am hoping to separate for an individual plan. I basically can't ask the owner to transfer ownership or agree to this. Is there any possible (legal!) way to separate without needing their permission? I'm fine with doing anything regardless of how complicated it would be.

Thanks!

tldr: what mta job should i seek if i am interested in trains and train yards

i am a freshman at hunter college majoring in political science at the moment, but a dream job for me would probably be with the LIRR. in particular, i'd like to do anything where i get to be on-site such as at train yards, train stations, or especially on the train.

first job that comes to mind is obviously a conductor and later on a locomotive engineer but if there are any other jobs that seem fitting that would be great to know. im also interested in data and aggregating it into spreadsheets although i dont have any professional or academic experience at the moment (i have a couple of MTA-related spreadsheets with some pretty dense data just for my own enjoyment)

have i screwed myself over by majoring in polysci? i still have time to change it so any recommended majors would be appreciated

side note, i am a female and i honestly have seen a significantly higher proportion of men working for the MTA, which is corroborated w/ MTA data from 2025. would i have a harder time getting a job bc im a female or is it more likely the case that women are less interested in MTA careers? not making any accusations of course, just want to have a full understanding of what the job market is like