Also called: Submarine Warfare Officer
Operates a nuclear-powered submarine and its reactor on months-long secret missions.
Submarine officers stand watch running the reactor or driving the ship hundreds of feet below the surface, with no sunlight and no internet for weeks. Training includes the Navy's demanding nuclear power school.
Figures approximate total military compensation (base pay plus tax-free housing and food allowances) from new to senior ranks; benefits include free healthcare, college money (GI Bill), and pensions after 20 years. Nuclear officers also receive large retention bonuses.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's degree via the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT), U.S. Naval Academy, NROTC, a maritime academy like Kings Point, or Officer Candidate School; strong math and physics needed for nuclear training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics.
Growing about average. Military hiring follows recruiting goals rather than BLS projections.
Low risk for 10 years. Automation runs more systems, but driving a nuclear sub and its reactor on secret missions stays human command.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 55-1019.
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.