Across the country, the demand for energy is growing faster than at any time in recent memory. That growth is creating long-term, well-paying careers for Veterans, whose training, discipline and willingness to take on hard jobs make them a natural fit for the work.
In the latest episode of “At the Table,” VA Deputy Secretary Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., talks with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary James P. Danly about the energy industry and the opportunities it offers Veterans. Danly, an Army Veteran who received a Purple Heart for service in Iraq, explains why DOE and the wider energy sector want Veterans on their teams and how service members and Veterans can prepare.
Why the energy sector needs Veterans
Danly describes an industry in the middle of a major expansion.
The United States has gone from a net importer of liquefied natural gas to the world’s largest exporter, is setting records for oil production, and is seeing electricity demand that it has never seen before. Meeting that demand means building as much infrastructure as possible, as quickly as possible—and that means jobs that will last for years.
Nuclear power is a big part of that buildout. The president has set a goal of quadrupling installed nuclear capacity from 100 gigawatts to 400, which means building roughly 300 additional gigawatts of reactors along with the transmission lines to carry the power where it is needed. Danly calls it one of the largest construction efforts in the country’s history.
You do not need a doctorate to be part of it. Danly says the biggest constraint right now is skilled trades such as pipefitters, concrete workers and rebar crews, though the country needs STEM Ph.Ds, too. The same is true at DOE’s national labs, where electricians, machinists and other tradespeople support the research and make up a large share of the workforce.
DOE opportunities for Veterans
DOE has three main functions: the nuclear weapons program, the national labs, and energy policy.
Danly says DOE gives Veterans preference in hiring, as the country has long done, and that the skills Veterans bring are directly useful. The nuclear Navy has been a talent pipeline into the nuclear power industry for years, and everyone from engineers to machinists has fundamental skills that carry over to DOE and its contractors, which run the national labs.
DOE is also in the middle of a federal workforce push that includes apprenticeships at the national labs and partnerships with universities to help people earn energy credentials. These programs can put you in a high-paying job that becomes the basis of a career.
To learn more about working at DOE, visit:
- https://www.energy.gov/careers/veterans-military-spouses
- https://www.energy.gov/work-us-department-energy
- https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-industries/energy
Careers across the energy industry
Energy touches nearly every part of the economy, so the opportunities go well beyond DOE.
Danly points to pipeline construction, transportation, transformer and transmission engineering, and the extraction industry, including natural gas and oil rigs and offshore platforms.
Linemen are a prime example. Utilities have long recruited from the military because the work, such as climbing transmission lines to make repairs in an emergency or in freezing weather, suits people who have served. Veterans are very well represented among line workers and on offshore platforms. These jobs pay well and can last an entire career. Danly notes that the utility and oil and gas industries have always been very friendly to hiring Veterans.
Even as artificial intelligence increases the need for power, Danly says he does not know of an AI model that can replace a transformer or climb a transmission line to fix it.
To explore energy jobs and employers that recruit Veterans, visit:
- https://getintoenergy.org/veterans/
- https://www.veteransinenergy.org/
Tips for service members preparing to separate
Danly encourages service members to get a head start before they separate.
Many people leaving the military can barely see beyond their separation date, but early preparation makes a difference. For skilled trades and specific jobs such as lineman, employers will provide specialized training. The most important step is to focus on what you would enjoy doing and then connect it to the knowledge and skills you built in the military. A Navy machinery repairer, for example, has many options in the energy industry along those lines, and a strong match makes you a more attractive candidate.
Take the next step
You do not need to have your career path fully mapped out to explore opportunities in energy. Begin with the DOE Veterans and Military Spouses page, explore apprenticeships, and visit Get Into Energy and Veterans in Energy to find employers across the industry.
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