Harnessing the atom: nuclear power plants, fusion research, radiation safety, reactor design and cleaning up nuclear waste.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Nuclear Engineer: Designs, runs and improves nuclear reactors and other systems that use radiation, from power plants to submarines to medical isotopes. Typical pay $128k.
Fusion Energy Engineer: Works on machines that try to copy the Sun by fusing atoms together for nearly limitless clean energy. Typical pay $145k.
Reactor Physicist: Calculates how neutrons behave inside a reactor core to design fuel layouts that are safe and efficient. Typical pay $140k.
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer: Makes sure nuclear material is never stored or handled in a way that could start an accidental chain reaction. Typical pay $135k.
Nuclear Reactor Operator: Controls a nuclear reactor from the control room, adjusting power and responding to alarms. Typical pay $121k.
Nuclear Licensing Engineer: Prepares the safety cases and documents that let a nuclear plant or new reactor design get approved by the NRC. Typical pay $115k.
Nuclear Technician: Helps physicists and engineers operate nuclear equipment and monitor radiation. Typical pay $100k.
Radiation Protection Technician: Measures radiation and keeps workers safe when they work in radioactive areas. Typical pay $75k.
Nuclear Plant Equipment Operator: Walks the plant checking pumps, valves and tanks and carries out operating steps outside the control room. Typical pay $80k.
Nuclear Quality Assurance Engineer: Makes sure every part and procedure in a nuclear plant meets strict federal quality rules. Typical pay $105k.
Radiological (ALARA) Engineer: Plans nuclear plant work so workers receive as little radiation as possible. Typical pay $105k.
Research Reactor Operator: Runs a small nuclear reactor on a college campus or national lab that makes medical isotopes and neutrons for research. Typical pay $75k.
Starter: fastest way in
Decontamination Technician: Cleans radioactive contamination from equipment, buildings and sites. Typical pay $52k.
Gamma Irradiation Facility Operator: Runs plants where radioactive cobalt sources sterilize bandages, syringes and spices that pass by on conveyors. Typical pay $52k.
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.