Careers in the Nuclear Industry

2011 National Nuclear Science Week
January 25th
Careers in the Nuclear Industry

There are many different and exciting careers in the nuclear field.  For an individual just graduating from high school, there are basically two career paths an individual might choose – a technician career or a professional career.  Each of these may be obtained through a (1) certification program, for example, to start as a beginning level health physics technician (HPT); (2) a two or four year degree program in a field supporting the nuclear industry, such as, biology, chemistry, physics or engineering; (3) education and experience obtained through the nuclear navy.  Each of these paths has different time frames for completion and different salary ranges but appeal to varied individual likes and dislikes.  Ultimately anyone with the proper motivation can start at the bottom and the sky is the limit.

One nuclear field career that is currently experiencing a significant shortfall is radiation protection personnel, especially health physics technicians.  Starting in the 2006 timeframe, this was recognized as a “Human Capital Crisis.”  There are two dominant themes driving this shortage – an aging workforce and the resurgence of commercial nuclear power.  As a result, there are approximately 15 community college programs initiated to resolve this shortage.  Many of these programs provide options to take credit of hours accumulated for certificates, up to and including associate and bachelor degrees.

Do you know a person that works at a commercial nuclear power plant?

Mark R. Ledoux, CHP

Corporate Director, Radiation Safety

EnergySolutions