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1220 Career Guide

Navy

1220: Naval Reactors Engineer

Career transition guide for Navy Naval Reactors Engineer (1220)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 1220 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Nuclear Engineer

$115K
High matchGrowing demand

Power Plant Manager

$130K
Good matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP) certificationUnderstanding of civilian power grid operations

Regulatory Affairs Specialist

$95K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Familiarity with NRC regulationsLaw degree or paralegal certificate

Management Consultant

$140K
Moderate matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

MBAConsulting experience

Project Engineer

$100K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP) certificationAgile methodologies

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 1220 training built — and where they transfer.

System Modeling

Naval Reactors Engineers develop and utilize sophisticated models to understand the complex interactions within nuclear reactors, predicting performance and ensuring safety under various operational conditions.

This ability to model complex systems translates directly to roles requiring the analysis and prediction of outcomes in intricate environments, such as financial markets or logistical networks.

Procedural Compliance

Adherence to strict protocols and regulations is paramount in nuclear engineering. Naval Reactors Engineers ensure every procedure is followed precisely to maintain the integrity and safety of nuclear reactors.

Your dedication to procedural compliance is highly valuable in regulated industries, ensuring accuracy and safety in fields like pharmaceuticals, aviation, or quality control.

Resource Optimization

Managing resources efficiently is critical in maintaining operational readiness. Naval Reactors Engineers optimize the use of materials, manpower, and time to maximize the performance and lifespan of nuclear reactors.

Your resource optimization skills make you an asset in any field where efficiency and cost-effectiveness are key, such as supply chain management, manufacturing, or project management.

Situational Awareness

Maintaining constant vigilance and understanding the implications of all operational parameters is crucial for safety and performance. Naval Reactors Engineers use their situational awareness to identify and mitigate potential issues proactively.

Your enhanced situational awareness makes you an excellent candidate for roles requiring quick decision-making in dynamic environments, such as emergency management, air traffic control, or risk management.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Financial Quantitative Analyst

SOC 15-2041.00

You've been rigorously trained to model complex systems and analyze vast amounts of data in high-stakes environments. This expertise is directly transferable to quantitative analysis in finance, where you'll develop and implement sophisticated models to predict market trends and manage risk.

Supply Chain Optimization Specialist

SOC 13-1081.02

You've mastered the art of resource optimization and process management within highly regulated environments. This makes you exceptionally well-suited to optimize supply chains, identifying bottlenecks, improving efficiency, and reducing costs in complex logistical networks.

Risk Management Consultant

SOC 13-2050.00

You've honed your skills in situational awareness and proactive problem-solving in one of the most demanding fields. You're equipped to assess and mitigate risks across various industries, providing critical insights and strategies to protect assets and ensure compliance.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA

2,000 training hours52 weeksUp to 30 semester hours in engineering and related sciences recommended

Topics Covered

  • Nuclear Reactor Theory
  • Reactor Operations
  • Thermodynamics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Nuclear Safety
  • Materials Science (Nuclear Applications)
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Reactor Design Principles

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Certified Nuclear Engineer (CNE)60% covered

Specifics of civilian nuclear power plant design, regulatory requirements (e.g., NRC regulations), and industry best practices.

Project Management Professional (PMP)40% covered

Formal project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum), specific tools and techniques outlined in the PMBOK, and stakeholder management strategies in a civilian context.

Recommended Next Certifications

Professional Engineer (PE) License (Nuclear)Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE)Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Information Management System (NNPIIMS)Document Management Systems (DMS) for highly regulated industries (e.g., pharmaceutical, energy)
Reactor Plant Monitoring System (RPMS)SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems for nuclear power plants
Naval Reactors Engineering Change Control System (NRECCS)Change Management Systems (e.g., ServiceNow) with specific workflows for engineering changes in safety-critical systems
Nuclear Reactor Core Design Codes (e.g., COBRA-EN, VIPRE)Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, Star-CCM+ ) for reactor core thermal-hydraulic analysis
Radiation Monitoring Systems (RMS) onboard naval vesselsEnvironmental radiation monitoring systems used around nuclear facilities (e.g., Mirion Technologies products)
Nuclear Power Plant Simulators (NPPS)High-fidelity plant simulators used for operator training in civilian nuclear power plants (e.g., GSE Systems simulators)
Reactor Safeguard Committee (RSC) review process documentationSafety case documentation and review processes required for licensing nuclear facilities by regulatory bodies (e.g., NRC)

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