Also called: Remote Handling Technician, Manipulator Operator
Handles highly radioactive materials using robotic arms through windows of thick leaded glass.
You stand outside a shielded "hot cell," working two master-slave manipulator arms to cut, weigh and package radioactive samples you can only see through three feet of glass. It feels like a video game with very real stakes.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in nuclear or chemical technology, or Navy nuclear training.
Ways in: 2-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Nuclear Technology, Chemical Technology.
Shrinking (about -1% over 10 years). Nuclear technicians overall; national labs and isotope producers hire steadily.
Low risk for 10 years. Working manipulator arms through shielded windows is skilled human work; remote robots may help later.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4051.
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.