Also called: Nuclear Machinist's Mate, Navy Nuke
Operates and maintains the reactors that power Navy submarines and aircraft carriers.
Underwater for months on a submarine, you stand watches monitoring the reactor, run tests, and fix equipment in tight spaces. Veterans are heavily recruited by power plants and get college credit for training.
Includes base pay, housing, and bonuses; military pay depends on rank. Nuclear enlistment bonuses can be large.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 2 years after high school. Enlist in the Navy and pass the Nuclear Power School program (about 1-2 years of training, one of the military's hardest).
Ways in: Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Navy Nuclear Power Program.
Growing about average. BLS does not project this specialty separately; rating estimated from related occupations.
Low risk for 10 years. Running and fixing submarine reactors is human, hands-on work, and the Navy trains and pays you.
Classes: Physics, Algebra II, Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 55-3019.
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.