AI Career Radar

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Operate or control nuclear reactors. Move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, and record data in logs. Implement emergency procedures when needed. May respond to abnormalities, determine cause, and recommend corrective action.

AI exposure58 / 100High exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation51
Freedom to set tasks51
Repeating the same tasks77
$122,890Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
-5.9%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (decline)BLS Employment Projections
64Skill durability (moderate)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Active Listening
63
72
Critical Thinking
63
72
Monitoring
63
72
Judgment and Decision Making
63
63
Speaking
63
56
Complex Problem Solving
62
69
Coordination
62
56
Active Learning
62
53
Reading Comprehension
61
75
Time Management
61
60
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
63
Social Perceptiveness
60
50
Learning Strategies
58
50
Instructing
58
50
Systems Analysis
57
53
Service Orientation
56
47
Systems Evaluation
56
47
Persuasion
54
47
Mathematics
53
44
Science
52
44
Negotiation
52
44
Management of Personnel Resources
50
50
Operations Analysis
49
9
Installation
48
0
Quality Control Analysis
47
56
Troubleshooting
47
50
Management of Financial Resources
47
25
Management of Material Resources
47
25
Technology Design
47
9
Equipment Maintenance
47
3
Equipment Selection
47
0
Operations Monitoring
46
75
Repairing
46
9
Programming
45
25
Operation and Control
43
75

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

80/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
6%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Active Learning, Speaking, Service Orientation, Monitoring

80/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$232,140
10-yr growth
+8.3%
Skill gap
11%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Operation and Control, Active Learning, Operations Monitoring, Speaking

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$175,140
10-yr growth
+15.8%
Skill gap
18%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Operations Analysis, Management of Financial Resources, Systems Evaluation, Speaking

78/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
9%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Speaking, Systems Analysis, Active Learning, Systems Evaluation

77/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$167,220
10-yr growth
+8.2%
Skill gap
11%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources

77/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$167,220
10-yr growth
+8.2%
Skill gap
11%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Speaking, Systems Evaluation, Systems Analysis, Writing

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Nuclear Power Reactor Operators could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.