 When the blacksmithing apprenticeship didn't work out, Bernet learned telegraphy and was hired in 1889 on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway.He worked his way up through various positions with the railroad to eventually become a Vice President for New York Central Railroad where he was in charge of the lines west of Buffalo.Soon after the Van Sweringen Brothers purchased the Nickel Plate Road from the New York Central, Bernet was asked to lead the Nickel Plate in 1916.