3 answers
Joseph
Student
Brownsville, Tennessee
1
Question
Updated
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How does Geography Affect Nuclear Engineers?
I am planning on majoring in nuclear engineering in college. I have heard that jobs in that field are mostly focused in certain geographic areas. Has anyone who has gone into nuclear engineering encountered troubles with this?
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3 answers
Philip Gauthier
Nuclear Plant Work Week Manager
25
Answers
Prairieville, Louisiana
Updated
Philip’s Answer
Yes, Geography, History and politics have shaped the nuclear industry and resulted in a nuclear map that can make finding your dream job in your dream location a bit tricky (especially for anyone seeking nuclear jobs in the western half of the country). The Civilian Nuclear Industry really sprang up in the 1960's and 70's and the cities with the largest populations and largest electricity demands were mostly in the East, South, and Midwest. Since then, populations have grown larger in the west but so did Anti-Nuclear movements in the late 70s and 80s (which accidently conflated nuclear power with nuclear weapons).
All that being said, there are still a lot of nuclear jobs here in America and we are the largest generator of nuclear power and nuclear plant components. The trick is to know where to look to find those jobs. Don't just look for nuclear plants but also look for:
1) National laboratories (Oak Ridge, Idaho National Lab, Los Alamos...)
2) Nuclear fabrication companies (BWXT, Framatome, Westinghouse....)
3) Military Nuclear and Federal Jobs (Navy, DOE, NRC...)
3) Medical companies, universities, etc...
If Nuclear Power is your interest, then, the NRC has a map of the currently operating Plants and their operators. I hope this has helped!!!
All that being said, there are still a lot of nuclear jobs here in America and we are the largest generator of nuclear power and nuclear plant components. The trick is to know where to look to find those jobs. Don't just look for nuclear plants but also look for:
1) National laboratories (Oak Ridge, Idaho National Lab, Los Alamos...)
2) Nuclear fabrication companies (BWXT, Framatome, Westinghouse....)
3) Military Nuclear and Federal Jobs (Navy, DOE, NRC...)
3) Medical companies, universities, etc...
If Nuclear Power is your interest, then, the NRC has a map of the currently operating Plants and their operators. I hope this has helped!!!
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach, Mentor
1216
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Joseph,
It's great that you are already thinking about the implications of choosing nuclear engineering as a career.
If you think about becoming a nuclear engineer, you need to be clear that these jobs are highly specialized and not available in every city. Nuclear engineering jobs are mainly found in federal agencies, the military, the energy industry and in research and education.
Military installations include Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii and Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Pennsylvania and New York. The Department of Energy supports a string of National Labs many of which are involved in nuclear research as well as e.g. the Hanford site in Washington (State). Nuclear power plants are scattered mostly in the eastern part of the US. Nuclear engineers also often work in jobs that require a federal security clearance which can further limit opportunities.
In Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Lab would be your first point of contact to learn more about the jobs of nuclear engineers. Check out their programs for high-school and college students:
https://education.ornl.gov/
https://education.ornl.gov/undergraduate/
https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/oak-ridge-interns-enrich-nuclear-workforce-future
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/nuclear-engineers.htm
https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes172161.htm
https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories
https://www.nei.org/resources/fact-sheets/u-s-nuclear-plants
It's great that you are already thinking about the implications of choosing nuclear engineering as a career.
If you think about becoming a nuclear engineer, you need to be clear that these jobs are highly specialized and not available in every city. Nuclear engineering jobs are mainly found in federal agencies, the military, the energy industry and in research and education.
Military installations include Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii and Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Pennsylvania and New York. The Department of Energy supports a string of National Labs many of which are involved in nuclear research as well as e.g. the Hanford site in Washington (State). Nuclear power plants are scattered mostly in the eastern part of the US. Nuclear engineers also often work in jobs that require a federal security clearance which can further limit opportunities.
In Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Lab would be your first point of contact to learn more about the jobs of nuclear engineers. Check out their programs for high-school and college students:
https://education.ornl.gov/
https://education.ornl.gov/undergraduate/
https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/oak-ridge-interns-enrich-nuclear-workforce-future
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Joseph Neilson
Radiation Detection Physicist
272
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
Indeed. Nuclear plants need a source of cooling, so tend to be built on the coast or on major rivers and lakes. They're also generally positioned away from major population centers (although that's more due to (misplaced) public fear alone rather than any actual risk). Combined, yes, that means nuclear careers do cluster on certain areas and not others. You may have to relocate to find work - I personally had to search for jobs across a wide area and move across the country to get my first job.
Where you are in Tennessee, I know there's a big cluster of nuclear facilities and companies around Oak Ridge and the national labs there, and I think there's a few power plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority; but for the best range of opportunities, search as wide an area as you would be willing to move - inter-state or even internationally.
It's also worth noting that the geographical dependence blurs out a bit more if you look beyond power plants and national labs into the broader nuclear supply chain. There's still a lot clustered around major nuclear facilities, but there's also a range of companies doing work for nuclear in other areas; these places still make use of nuclear engineering skills, especially in design and manufacturing sectors.
Where you are in Tennessee, I know there's a big cluster of nuclear facilities and companies around Oak Ridge and the national labs there, and I think there's a few power plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority; but for the best range of opportunities, search as wide an area as you would be willing to move - inter-state or even internationally.
It's also worth noting that the geographical dependence blurs out a bit more if you look beyond power plants and national labs into the broader nuclear supply chain. There's still a lot clustered around major nuclear facilities, but there's also a range of companies doing work for nuclear in other areas; these places still make use of nuclear engineering skills, especially in design and manufacturing sectors.