Nuclear Engineering Jobs are Hot

If you're looking for a high-tech career with nowhere to go but up, then you can't go wrong with nuclear engineering.

More than just nuclear power, nuclear engineers are also vital for work in physics, medicine, imaging, and more. It's an essential field, and it's growing. According to a 2008 article from USA Today, there are now five times more nuclear engineering students than there were early in the decade.

If new nuclear power plants get approved in the next few years, it could mean hundreds of new engineering jobs. Heck, worldwide, new nuclear power could result in thousands upon thousands of jobs. That's the expectation in the UK, where 11 new nuclear power plants are currently being debated. (And yes, chances are that the majority of new nuclear jobs will be created outside the U.S., but the States still has the best nuclear training programs, so you're in the right place to make sure you get the best knowledge possible to get started in your career.)

Want to know more? Here's a great profile of a working nuclear engineer, and here's another one from an engineer who's just started out in his field.

Ireland Wants More R&D Workers

Interested in working overseas? Then Ireland might be the place for you. The country is already well-known as one of Europe's technology centers, and now the government has rolled out a new program to make it easier for foreign researchers to work there.

The new Euraxess.ie web portal aims to make it easier for R&D people to take contracts in Ireland, and even to bring their entire families there for the extent of their contract. You won't even need a green card or work permit, that's how much they want you there.

Euraxess is actually EU-wide, but this new Irish version of the portal takes things several steps further that most other European countries and making the country even more attractive to researchers.

Give it a try. But if you get a job there, don't kiss the Blarney Stone. You don't want to know why.

Environmental engineering jobs up 25%

Looking for a specialty for your engineering career? Think green. Environmental engineering jobs are up 25.4% according to a new book, 200 Best Jobs for Renewing America by Laurence Shatkin.

Shatkin's top ten green jobs are full of engineering specialties. Industrial engineer jobs are up more than 20%, geoscience jobs are up 21.9%, and other jobs for environmental scientists and specialists are up more than 25%.

The jobs all pay pretty well, too. According to Shatkin, the average environmental engineering job pays $72,350.

I just did a quick job search on Experience.com, and there are, at this moment, more than 20 jobs that fit into these categories.

Give 'em a look and see what appeals to you!

Are You An Extreme Programmer? Or a Hybrid Champion?

Are you up to a programming challenge? IEEE will once again hold its IEEE Xtreme Programming Challenge this October 24th. Teams will have 24 hours to solve a programming challenge that will be revealed when the competition opens that day at 00:00:00 UTC.

This is specifically for teams at universities with IEEE student branches -- and if you're not already involved in your student branch, you should be.

Interested? Don't delay - if you want to compete, you must register by October 12!

Meanwhile, registration is now open for next summer's Formula Hybrid International Competition. This is a really exciting event, where teams of college and university students design, build, and race high-performance, plug-in hybrid vehicles. It's held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH, every year, and attracts teams from all over the world.

Formula Hybrid attracts not only some great minds, but some very interested recruiters, who look to this competition to find their next great automotive engineers. It's a great way to examine green technologies, and a perfect way to practice teamwork and learn from your peers.

Registration for the 2010 Formula Hybrid competition opened this week, and closes in mid-December. That leaves you several months to create your vehicle, time you'll really need. Give it a try!

Any other competitions you're excited about this year? Let us know in the comments section!