Nuclear plant reactor operators explains this...for every one of them there are dozens of lower-paid supporting staff. Getting a civilian RO job without an engineering or physics degree would essentially require navy nuclear power training and experience...that's 8 years of hell that puts any college degree to shame. You'd be competeing for the job with my former commanding officer: Navy O-5 with shipboard nuclear engineering experience and a master's degree.



That's because a) there is a shortage of shall we say red-blooded male blue-collar workers and b) Cost of living is sky-high. That $100K plumber lives the same livestyle as a $35K plumber in Witchita.