Nuclear Engineering Salary: A Guide To A Lucrative Career
One of the top paying fields among the working class belongs to the engineering profession. Within the realm of different engineering pathways is Nuclear Engineering, a field in which occupiers need to possess a higher order and somewhat out of this world set of skills and knowledge. Not to scare away any prospective students, the nuclear engineering salary is highly competitive. These engineers are very nicely compensated for their efforts at changing the world, even when weighing in the different factors that may affect the salary. These factors can consist of location, experience levels, affiliations or internships, any published works or whether working for a private sector or government regulated corporation.
Because of the nature of the work, nuclear engineers are better suited in densely populated cities and are therefore in high demand and well paid in or around these types of areas. Areas such as Pittsburgh, PA pay a median salary of about $114,362 per year. In contrast, Dothan, AL pays a median salary of $80,921 per year. This is still relatively high for a career coming out of college, but it is significantly below the national average. Also, the cost of living may need to be factored in. Don’t discard the love of country living for a higher pay if living comfortably can still be attained.
The level of experience or expertise weighs heavily on nuclear engineering salary. The levels are categorized by roman numerals next to the title, for example a nuclear engineer is a freshly graduated student, a nuclear engineer I is an engineer with 2 to 4 years of experience, a nuclear engineer II is an engineer with 4 to 6 years, and the pattern continues so forth. According to Salary Wizard, a nuclear engineer III earned an average salary of $92,641 as of April 2011. By contrast to a nuclear engineer I, which earned about $64,454 per year. A nuclear engineer V has a median salary of $117,179.
As with almost any profession, if you are affiliated with a certain corporation or organization, you are more likely to get hired or paid significantly more than a person with no extra curricular activities. Having an active membership to a prestigious organization such as The American Nuclear Society and regularly volunteering and donating looks very well on a resume. It shows that you understand the intricacies of a growing nuclear corporation and are also not in it just for the money. This can be the equivalent of experience in some situations and is likely to balance on the nuclear engineering salary.
Nuclear Engineering Salary: US Navy
Another option worth considering is whether to work for a private company or the military. A US Navy Nuclear Engineer makes an average of $102,900 after salary, bonuses and miscellaneous things. That may be the national average, but other things need to be considered Housing is an extra allowance that is paid for, educational costs are significantly less, and you can start working in an internship quickly with full benefits, along with any and all respect and authority that comes with being a member of the Armed Forces. Researching different factors is the best way to gauge the correct salary estimate.
