Where to go from here?

[pyroclasticflow]

Hi,
I am currently finishing up an associates degree in General Studies (science) because my college is forcing me to. After that I only need about one more semester of work to complete an associates in chemistry or physics. It's necessary for me to go for the second associates degree in order to bring up my GPA because I didn't take college seriously enough the first time I went (when I was at a university). After that, I plan to transfer to a university. The only problem is that it seems there are few undergraduate nuclear engineering programs. Should I major in something else and then go on to graduate school for nuclear engineering? If I do, what would be a good degree to get in order to accomplish this? How have many of you met your goals in this area of study? Is it necessary that I join the Navy in order to have a leg to stand on? My main goal is to eventually work in a nuclear power plant - should I just become an operator to achieve this?

Another thing I was wondering about (which has less to do with education and more to do with the general atmosphere of the job) is whether there are any major stumbling blocks for women in these fields. I don't really buy into the whole "STEM fields are hostile to women" idea but I wanted to know if any of you had experience with this. Thanks in advance.

[peteshonkwiler]

Having recently worked a nuke plant, after over a decade hiatus in D&D and environmental projects, I noted that more women were employed in the technical disciplines than I remembered from my previous experience. To be fair, I had always thought nukes were ahead of the demographic curve regarding female employment. So I would not worry about that aspect while contemplating your future.
What I would consider is why a NE degree is your choice. There are many options in the realm of STEM. Many offer excellent compensation. Most are offered at a majority of our nation's universities. Most of these career paths are more broad in application to the job market. Many of these disciplines are utilized by nuke plants.
Naval service is not a mandatory factor for nuke employment.