I'm a veteran Nuke that didn't go into the nuclear engineering field. However, I did frequently cross paths and classes with another Navy nuke veteran who did

I'm a veteran Nuke that didn't go into the nuclear engineering field. However, I did frequently cross paths and classes with another Navy nuke veteran who did take that path. Basically, enlisted nuke -> commercial nuclear engineering technician. As an engineering tech, there was certainly good money to be made. But, he found that there was a pretty hard ceiling on how far he could go without an engineering degree. So, he was putting himself through college full-time, while feeding a family of four on student loans (!). What the recruiters don't tell you, is that your course work will only be accepted for credit by colleges that are not ABET-accredited. The two years of nuke school can count as nearly all of an associate's degree in nuclear engineering technology, but almost none in nuclear engineering. I had to start from scratch when I got my degree (in Mechanical Engineering) - I didn't even get PE credit! But on the flip side, because I had a working knowledge of thermo/mechanical/electrical systems as a field tech, I found that my engineering courses were much more comprehensible. I was hungry for the detailed theory at that point, and didn't mind if the particular practice problems were contrived.