7 Skills Needed to be a Nuclear Engineer

If you have a degree in nuclear engineering and you’re wondering about requirements for this job,  take a look at our list of 7 skills needed to be a nuclear engineer.

Sometimes, when you’re just a kid you start imagining your future and thinking about what you would like to do when you grow up. Many of us wanted to be news reporters, supermodels, cowboys, astronauts or scientists. But sadly, we tend to move on to different paths as we grow up, often because we realize how difficult it would be to actually become one of those things. Have you ever wondered what does it take to become a nuclear engineer? Well, quite a lot actually. Besides a degree in nuclear engineering, you must possess many other skills and knowledge of practical application of science and technology. We all know that a nuclear engineer must excel at mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science, but that is not all.  In order to be considered for a position of a nuclear engineer, one must be familiar with the basics of safety and security, administration, education, and human resources, as well. It may sound like too much but all these things are necessary to be able to successfully do your job. But what do nuclear engineers exactly do? They work in the nuclear industry, researching and developing processes, instruments, and systems that are used for deriving benefits from nuclear energy and radiation. They produce energy and their duties may include designing new plants and planning safe methods of disposing nuclear waste.

Despite all the skills and knowledge a nuclear engineer must obtain, the future does not seem very bright for them in the years to come. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 4% decline in employment of nuclear engineers between 2014 and 2024. Their average annual salary in 2016 was $102,220 (about $49.14 per hour) which sounds great, although such hard work based on years of education is certainly valuable and should be paid so. But it seems as if in the future, it will be much harder for nuclear engineers to find employment although working conditions are not the same everywhere. If you’re wondering what country offers best working conditions for nuclear engineers then take a look at our list of 15 Best States for Nuclear Engineers.

We were curious about what skills does a nuclear scientist must have in order to be successful in his job so we searched through My Majors and National Careers Service to find that out. Check out our list of 7 skills needed to be a nuclear engineer.

7. Communication

When thinking about the skills necessary for a nuclear engineer, one might not first think of communication, but this is very important for the job. In fact, communication skills are needed for every job. What do these skills include? Communication skills include the ability to successfully convey information to others as well as the ability to listen carefully to what other people have to say. Failure to do so often has damaging consequences and causes misunderstandings.

6. Teamwork

Teamwork, that’s next on our list of skills needed to be a nuclear engineer is essential for becoming a nuclear engineer. When a group of people works together they are more likely to quickly find a solution to a problem and teamwork is probably extremely difficult without communication skills.

5. Problem Solving Skills

Another skill among our 7 skills needed to be a nuclear engineer that is very important. It’s hard to imagine being a nuclear engineer without problem-solving skills. This means identifying problems and then reviewing relevant information in order to develop and implement the solution. It includes being excellent at mathematics and science and using it to solve problems as well as being able to resolve any issue you face at work.

4. Time Management

Time is precious and we are all aware of that. We are often limited or we must limit ourselves when performing a task and knowing how to balance is the key.  Time management means being able to manage our own time as well as the time of others so this is a skill you must obtain if you wish to be a nuclear engineer.

3. Organizational Skills

We are continuing our list of skills needed to be a nuclear engineer with organizational skills that have become one of the basic job requirements nowadays and one of the most important leadership skills. It is often necessary in every job to balance various tasks efficiently and in order to do that, our organizational skills must be excellent. Of course, this is something that can be learned and practiced.

2. People Management

If you wish to be a nuclear engineer, you need to learn about people management. Your job will include identifying the right people for the job as well as motivating employees. Your duty is to find the best candidates for the job and then direct people as they work helping them to develop.

1. Learning Strategies

Learning strategies are equally important as other skills among our 7 skills needed to be a nuclear engineer. Nuclear engineers are not only required to understand complicated processes and resolve problems but they are required to select and use instructional methods to teach others how to do something. The training/instructional methods must be appropriate for the situation when teaching or learning something.