Melanie Roberts’ current job title is student.
She’s been on Duke Energy’s nuclear team for 23 years. Although she knows a lot about her industry, she doesn’t know – yet – how to be a senior reactor operator. That’s why she and 12 other Brunswick Nuclear Plant employees are enrolled in a yearlong class.
They all want to be reactor operators – the people in nuclear plants responsible for protecting the health and safety of the public.
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This story is part of a series on in-demand nuclear roles, essential jobs that enable Duke Energy to continue generating the electricity our customers count on. Read the other stories here.
“Our training is intense,” Roberts said. “We learn from licensed operators, and we spend time in the full-scope simulator that allows you to operate the controls in a no-risk environment. You practice how you’d react in situations we’d never want a real plant to be in.”
The class culminates in a two-week-long exam in May 2025 administered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). But learning never ceases.
“For 40 hours out of every five weeks, you’re back in training,” Roberts said. “Training is built into our jobs. All operators, once they’re licensed, spend basically 20% of their time on the job in training.”
Licensed senior reactor operators are in high demand – even in other industries. Being a licensed operator “shows you have a capacity for learning, leadership and that you’re driven to accomplish,” she said.
All 13 trainees have already been slotted into shifts for 2025. And there’s a lot to love about their predictable work schedules. They work 12-hour days on rotating, five-week schedules. “Five weeks is 35 workdays,” Roberts said. “You work 18 of those 35 days, and at one point, you’re off for seven days in a row.”
During her decades at Duke Energy, Roberts has been in operations, training and maintenance. “I’ve loved every job I’ve had,” she said. “I’m planning to work another 15 to 20 years at this company because I love it so much.”
And while some people may be nervous to work in an industrial environment, Roberts said, “Safety is at the forefront of everything we do. Every day, I'm impressed by how we protect our workers and the public.” Safety measures have gotten more high-tech in recent years. For instance, a robotic dog can get into tight spaces to look for potential issues so a human doesn’t have to.
Other things Roberts appreciates about her job include the pay (“I couldn’t leave Duke Energy and stay in this area and expect to have the same salary”) and Duke Energy’s commitment to community.
She’s on two nonprofit boards and is president of the Jack Helbig Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit focused on drowning prevention. (Jack's dad is also a Duke Energy employee, currently serving as a supervisor of project controls.)
“Duke Energy donates money for every hour I participate in board activities,” she said. “For regular volunteer hours, there’s a set dollar amount. When you serve on a board, it's five times that.”
Roberts didn’t expect to be with the same company her whole career, but she said, “Having the opportunity to develop in so many ways has kept me here.”
