Also called: Navy 1120, Nuclear-trained officer
Officer who runs a nuclear reactor and leads sailors aboard a submarine on months-long silent patrols.
Submarine officers spend about a year in nuclear power school, then go to sea for patrols where there's no sunlight and little contact with home. They stand watch over the reactor, navigation, and weapons. Nuclear officers are recruited by power utilities and engineering firms at high salaries.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's (STEM strongly preferred, calculus and physics required), interview with Naval Reactors, then ~1.5 years of nuclear and submarine training. Nuclear bonuses can exceed $30k/year. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Automation aids sonar and reactor monitoring; leading a crew on silent patrols stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.