like 37-year-old kimberly hall. the chemist left a job in the drug industry, lured by her fascination with nuclear energy's potential. >> since i am a scientist by nature, it's just a process that you can take, uranium and power a city. >> reporter: the hope of landing a steady job brought 25-year-old wesley mcclean to midlands. he now works as a nuclear mechanic. >> i'm not sure how far up the ladder i'll climb. i plan on spending 30, 35 years with the company. >> reporter: mcqueen recharging his career by taking the nuclear option. >> mary thompson joins us now. those are terrific and inspiring stories. in the last one they were saying they wouldn't say what they're paying, but that there's a good benefits package. are you finding if you're skilled and in such demand that wages are going up? >> it depends on two things, industry and geography. certain industries are growing like gang busters. there you see some wage pressure again because demand is so great for the services. the other factor that depends on wages,