One of the best-paid jobs in the US that start with only a high-school diploma and an aptitude test. The BLS median is $102,040, nuclear reactor operators make $122,890, and the plant trains you on the job. Few people know it exists: there are only about 30,000 power plant operators in the country. The number of jobs is slowly shrinking (about 5% by 2035) as old plants close, but around 3,400 openings a year come from retirements, and that is the door in.
Method
- Pass the POSSMost utilities screen applicants with the EEI Plant Operator Selection System: reading, mechanical concepts, math and spatial ability.
- Get hired as a traineeOperator trainee or apprentice at a utility, power producer, or a university or hospital plant.
- Qualify as an auxiliary operatorLearn the plant system by system in the field and pass checkouts.
- Move into the control roomControl room operator after several years; at nuclear plants, the NRC Reactor Operator license.
Pay, licensing and demand vary by state, city and timing. Figures are averaged and partly approximate. Skill levels follow each skill's milestones (see Skills). Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, power plant operators (May 2025 pay, 2025–35 projections); O*NET 51-8013 (10th/90th percentile pay); EEI POSS test description; 2025–26 IBEW wage schedule, Tri-Dam Project (California); ZipRecruiter and Payscale trainee pay, 2026. Something off? Suggest a fix