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Job Definition
View MovieConduct research on nuclear engineering problems or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and utilization of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.
Job Zone

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Interests
Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Knowledge
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Skills
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Tasks
Perform experiments that will provide information about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, and waste disposal.
Design and oversee construction and operation of nuclear reactors and power plants and nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
Design and develop nuclear equipment such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, and associated instrumentation and control mechanisms.
Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
Recommend preventive measures to be taken in the handling of nuclear technology, based on data obtained from operations monitoring or from evaluation of test results.
Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation and nuclear fuel and waste handling and disposal.
Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles and performance of nuclear machinery and equipment, to optimize performance of existing plants.
Direct operating and maintenance activities of operational nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
Synthesize analyses of test results, and use the results to prepare technical reports of findings and recommendations.
Prepare construction project proposals that include cost estimates, and discuss proposals with interested parties such as vendors, contractors, and nuclear facility review boards.
Analyze available data and consult with other scientists to determine parameters of experimentation and suitability of analytical models.
Design and direct nuclear research projects to discover facts, to test or modify theoretical models, or to develop new theoretical models or new uses for current models.
Examine accidents to obtain data that can be used to design preventive measures.
Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or that could jeopardize the safety of operations.
Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals and by independent study and research.
Wages

In 2008, the California average annual wage was $103,160.00.

Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $68,260.00 and $139,450.00.

Outlook

During 2006, there were approximately 1,100 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 1,200 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 10 openings due to growth and about 20 replacement openings for approximately 30 total annual openings. This occupation .

Colleges and Training
Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
Nuclear Engineering - A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of systems for controlling and manipulating nuclear energy, including nuclear power plant design, fission reactor design, fusion reactor design, reactor control and safety systems design, power transfer systems, containment vessels and structures design; and the analysis of related engineering problems such as fission and fusion processes, human and environmental factors, construction, and operational considerations.
Similar Occupations
Engineering Managers - Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
Aerospace Engineers - Perform a variety of engineering work in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
Civil Engineers - Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures, and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, water and sewage systems, and waste disposal units. Includes architectural, structural, traffic, ocean, and geo-technical engineers.
Industrial Safety and Health Engineers - Plan, implement, and coordinate safety programs, requiring application of engineering principles and technology, to prevent or correct unsafe environmental working conditions.
Marine Architects - Design and oversee construction and repair of marine craft and floating structures such as ships, barges, tugs, dredges, submarines, torpedoes, floats, and buoys. May confer with marine engineers.
Mechanical Engineers - Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of such equipment as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers - Determine the location and plan the extraction of coal, metallic ores, nonmetallic minerals, and building materials, such as stone and gravel. Work involves conducting preliminary surveys of deposits or undeveloped mines and planning their development; examining deposits or mines to determine whether they can be worked at a profit; making geological and topographical surveys; evolving methods of mining best suited to character, type, and size of deposits; and supervising mining operations.
Petroleum Engineers - Devise methods to improve oil and gas well production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice to achieve economical and satisfactory progress.
Electrical Engineering Technicians - Apply electrical theory and related knowledge to test and modify developmental or operational electrical machinery and electrical control equipment and circuitry in industrial or commercial plants and laboratories. Usually work under direction of engineering staff.
Physicists - Conduct research into the phases of physical phenomena, develop theories and laws on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply laws and theories to industry and other fields.
Notes
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