Ryan Felske

Ryan Felske began his career with Exelon at the Byron Generating Station as a Security Guard in 2007, but knew he wanted to become a Reactor Operator.  The online Nuclear Power Technology (NUPT) program through Bismarck State College was, “exactly what I needed for where I wanted to go,” Ryan said.  After he started with Exelon, he began researching what program or degree would help him transition into operations.  He was thrilled to see Exelon endorse the EPCE-sponsored NUPT program in a company newsletter.

Being a single father, and working full time, online education was the only option for Ryan.  Exelon also worked with him to allow him some time at work to dedicate to his studies.  Ryan graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Nuclear Power Technology in Spring 2014, which opened the door for him into the operations department: “The degree from Bismarck State College is what I needed to get the Equipment Operator position, and laid the ground work for me to become a candidate for the Nuclear Station Operator (NSO) Initial License Training.”

Ryan began the two year training program in the summer of 2014, and has already found that the knowledge he gained through the NUPT program is directly applicable to his training: “Most of the fundamentals we cover in training – reactor physics, safety systems, etc. – is what was covered in the degree.  A lot of the program content is specific towards operations, which has been extremely beneficial.”

Ryan offered advice for others looking to pursue a career in nuclear operations:  “If you want to work in the nuclear industry, this is the program you want.  It will give you everything you need to get started in this career.”