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Aerospace Engineer
I want to go to College foe Aerospace Engineering but would like to see what a workday is like. How would I do this?
#engineering #stem
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Ashley’s Answer
I am an Aerospace Engineer. There are many different jobs that someone with a AE degree can go into. My first job was at NASA Johnson Space Center where I worked in Mission Control. Daily you had a few meetings with your team about things happening now and planning for the future. You also had tasks which you had to get done, some where short term and some were long term. You needed to work within your group and other groups to complete the task or solve problems that were going on at that time. Then every few months you were on-console. which for 1 week you were the main contact for the International Space Station (ISS) crew. We started with training about the ISS and learned everything about the system you were in-charge of, then were tested on this information to ensure that you would be ready if a problem happened on your shift. I have since moved on to a job where I am the Project Engineering Manager for an Aerospace Company. I lead teams to develop aerospace components. Like I did with my first job I have a few meetings and tasks to get done each day, usually working to toward a large project like making a display. I work with my team to determine how we are going to make our product, what we need to do, what information we need, and break down the problem into solvable parts. Then we integrate everyone's parts (like Software, Electrical, Mechanical) and make sure the system works. Then we test the product to make sure it works. This process can take a few years from start to finish.
I have other friends with AE degrees who design mechanical components for aircraft, like the wing or the airframe, or for spacecraft. I have others who are systems engineers and they do the integration portion of what I discussed above and make sure the system will work in the end.
There are lots of things AE degrees can do. I recommend looking up Aerospace Engineering Jobs and you will see a vast array of what you can do. During your school you will figure out what specialty you want, more towards the software, or maybe mechanical, with more private companies working in satellites and manned spacecraft there are more opportunities than ever. It is a very exciting career and if you want to put in the work and are passionate about understanding how spacecraft or aircraft work and want to design something in the future AE is a great career choice.
There are not AE career options in every state though- so be prepared to move if you don't see a company in your state, however, more companies are moving and starting-up all the time.
I have other friends with AE degrees who design mechanical components for aircraft, like the wing or the airframe, or for spacecraft. I have others who are systems engineers and they do the integration portion of what I discussed above and make sure the system will work in the end.
There are lots of things AE degrees can do. I recommend looking up Aerospace Engineering Jobs and you will see a vast array of what you can do. During your school you will figure out what specialty you want, more towards the software, or maybe mechanical, with more private companies working in satellites and manned spacecraft there are more opportunities than ever. It is a very exciting career and if you want to put in the work and are passionate about understanding how spacecraft or aircraft work and want to design something in the future AE is a great career choice.
There are not AE career options in every state though- so be prepared to move if you don't see a company in your state, however, more companies are moving and starting-up all the time.
Thanks for responding 😊
LaToya
Updated
Brian’s Answer
As Ashley said, there are a lot of things an AE can do. And with our current quarantine world, it can be hard to really get hands-on feedback from companies. That said, I do have some possible suggestions for you that are helped given your Southern California location.
There are some good AE companies not far from you. Lockheed, Northrup, and General Atomics are all in SoCal and more than one of them are likely to have STEM social outreach type programs for women in stem. I'd say it is worth reaching out to all of them and seeing if you can't arrange for some virtual one-on-one time with an engineer. They have a lot of top secret stuff and many offices are shut down, but a ZOOM chat should be manageable and give you an opportunity for multiple perspectives on a day-in-the light and possible paths.
Another avenue you may want to consider is to look at the universities you are considering and see what types of aerospace clubs they have. For instance, San Diego State, where my daughter went, had a full-fledged rocket project run by students. Talk to the clubs at schools like this. They deal with scaled down versions of all aspects of a full project; materials, comms, fuel, software, launch testing, and more and could talk to you about the projects. They may even have videos to share that would give you insights.
Good places to look for programs like this are any cities with military bases or space based companies. So, San Diego, Houston, Huntsville, and the Space Coast of Florida are all good options.
Best of luck!
There are some good AE companies not far from you. Lockheed, Northrup, and General Atomics are all in SoCal and more than one of them are likely to have STEM social outreach type programs for women in stem. I'd say it is worth reaching out to all of them and seeing if you can't arrange for some virtual one-on-one time with an engineer. They have a lot of top secret stuff and many offices are shut down, but a ZOOM chat should be manageable and give you an opportunity for multiple perspectives on a day-in-the light and possible paths.
Another avenue you may want to consider is to look at the universities you are considering and see what types of aerospace clubs they have. For instance, San Diego State, where my daughter went, had a full-fledged rocket project run by students. Talk to the clubs at schools like this. They deal with scaled down versions of all aspects of a full project; materials, comms, fuel, software, launch testing, and more and could talk to you about the projects. They may even have videos to share that would give you insights.
Good places to look for programs like this are any cities with military bases or space based companies. So, San Diego, Houston, Huntsville, and the Space Coast of Florida are all good options.
Best of luck!
Updated
John’s Answer
I addition to the other answers, contact the local Chamber of Commerce or Economic development groups. They have large network of companies and can direct you to a company to chat with. You can also network with people on Linkedin. You can also grt more info at this site,
www.bls.gov/ooh/
www.bls.gov/ooh/
Thank you!
LaToya
Updated
Sharool’s Answer
The aerospace engineering is known as a Noble field of study. Aerospace engineers are highly paid professionals in the engineering job market. However, in recent years, the availability of aerospace engineers increased drastically. This resulted in some positive and negative impact on the salary of aerospace engineers.
Updated
Hassan’s Answer
There are so many different Aerospace Engineer jobs out there that it would be very hard to describe a typical work day.
Check https://www.indeed.com/q-Aerospace-Engineer-jobs.html?advn=984457265069156&vjk=80007dc2e1e2cfe8 and read through the job descriptions to see which sound interesting. Then research the company to see if they have more details on those jobs. Maybe even reach out to the hiring managers to see if they'll talk to you about the job.
You could also reach out to the Career Placement office at Colleges you're interested in to see if they can give you more details or connect you with Alumni or employers.
Check https://www.indeed.com/q-Aerospace-Engineer-jobs.html?advn=984457265069156&vjk=80007dc2e1e2cfe8 and read through the job descriptions to see which sound interesting. Then research the company to see if they have more details on those jobs. Maybe even reach out to the hiring managers to see if they'll talk to you about the job.
You could also reach out to the Career Placement office at Colleges you're interested in to see if they can give you more details or connect you with Alumni or employers.
Thank you😊
LaToya