Any Engineers out there?

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BLKKROW

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I am currently studying Aerospace engineering and would love to exchange some emails with anyone who works in this field or any related field. I want to get an idea of what is expected from a student going into the field and other aspects.

Plus I may need some encouragement as my workload is increasing. So if anyone out there would love to take the time to help a student. Please reply or PM your email address.
 
Hope you don't mind a question of curiosity, but how is the job market for AE's?

The reason I ask is, when I was in college, it was a poor market and I saw some of the students changing majors.
 
That is one question I hope to answer.

I have been researching online and every website gives a different value or percentage of growth.
 
I finished my masters in Aero this spring and got a job in the field in May, and if you would like, I would be more than willing to talk about my experience and recommendations. I dont have the years of experience like some folks here but I might have one of the more recent school/career transitions.
 
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Thank you for the replies!

I will take some tomorrow on my day off to send out some questions to everyone.

Thank You
 
I am a mechanical engineer, 33 years experience with oilfield pumping equipment. My dream job was AE, with NASA or one of the Apollo contractors, but my HS counselors told me to stay away from AE as the aerospace industry was slowing down in early- mid 70s (I graduated HS in '75). They told me mech engr was more versatile. I co-op'd at the Texas A&M Wind Tunnel, helped with some space shuttle tests and other cool stuff. I talked to some NASA engineers during these tests, and they told me the engr that were being layed-off were the MEs working as AEs :confused: About the time I graduated college, oilfield was hot, aerospace was not.

My job entails lots of cool stuff like FEA, CFD, testing, vibes, and other types of analysis, but my dream job is still in AE now maybe with somebody like Space-X :D
 
I got my PhD in 2007 in "Mechanical Engineering," which was code for "I really should be aerospace but the school didn't have an AE department." I've worked in and out of Aerospace since then and got my first 'real' job last year. I currently work for a NASA contractor and I'd be happy to help. My background is mostly in plasma physics and electric propulsion, but I've set that aside and I work thermal sciences and optics now.
 
I graduated in late 2003 with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. I was lucky enough to have a job offer before I walked for graduation. I spent 3 years on the In Service Engineering side of things and then moved to the production side where I have been for the past 7. I actually get to play with real rocket motors and mix propellant. It's fun!

-Dave
 
My undergraduate degree was in computer science.

The aerospace engineering people here at https://www.ssl.berkeley.edu/ seem to be doing systems engineering or management.

From where I sit we have a hard time finding people with a solid software engineering background who understand the oddities of doing embedded software in an aerospace environment. Because we're such a small shop there tends to be one software person doing most of the flight software work for a project. So they need to be able to work with scientists to define requirements, design a system to meet those and on-orbit operational requirements, implement and debug it, do the quality assurance work to convince the sponsoring agency (usually NASA) that everything is under control, and then help run the system during integration, test, launch, and early on-orbit operations.
 
From where I sit we have a hard time finding people with a solid software engineering background who understand the oddities of doing embedded software in an aerospace environment. Because we're such a small shop there tends to be one software person doing most of the flight software work for a project. So they need to be able to work with scientists to define requirements, design a system to meet those and on-orbit operational requirements, implement and debug it, do the quality assurance work to convince the sponsoring agency (usually NASA) that everything is under control, and then help run the system during integration, test, launch, and early on-orbit operations.

Buried here is quite possibly the best advice anyone can give you about future employability: WORK WELL WITH OTHERS. Learn at least a little bit about other fields, so when you're thrown into a mixed team of AE/ME, EE, CS, CompE, and/or other fields, you can at least get your point across. You don't have to, for example, be an expert at digital signal processing, writing code that meets NASA safety-criticality specs, or figure out how to keep a rat alive and healthy during spaceflight operations, but it's amazingly useful to be able to listen to what other people on the team need and understand enough of it to make it work with your contribution to a project. Several of the software engineers at my company, for example, are where they are right now because they can speak a little EE when they need to, and a little ME when they have to. It's also nice that they understand that everything that goes wrong, no matter the reason, is Software's fault. :wink:
 
I sent emails/replies to those who in their post mentioned they could answer questions if you did not get one and want to help then please PM. I appreciate the responses.
 
I am electrical engineer, but have worked with aero engineers. Based on their feedback, aerospace engineering tends to be one of the more boom and bust fields in engineering.

Also, keep in mind many engineers don't do actual basic engineering for long. People tend to move up into management, project management, etc. Engineers who stay in "real" engineering often don't see a lot of pay increases as their pay is usually pretty good to start with.

My current job is in quality and I do almost no engineering. My previous job was processing warranty claims which had almost no real engineering in it either, but was more enjoyable.

One thing I always pass along to people interested in engineering; take classes in writing and speaking. Engineers who can communicate well are ALWAYS a step ahead of most other engineers. You can not underestimate the benefit of strong oral and written communication skills as an engineer.
 
Electrical Engineer here, doing embedded software for 20+ years. Haven't done any aerospace related stuff for a long time, though. Feel free to PM me.
 
It's also nice that they understand that everything that goes wrong, no matter the reason, is Software's fault. :wink:
Hey, I resemble that remark. :) It's funny when I have to solve mechanical or electrical problems that were blamed on software. Heck, sometimes I have to fix hardware problems in software!
 
I have never been a big fan of specialized degrees. If physics is really your love and life, get a degree in physics. Von Braun was a physicist, Goddard was a physicist, even Elon Musk, space-x founder, is a physicist. BTW, in case you didn't notice, I have a preference for physicists. Also, if you go with physics, you get paid to go to graduate school. It's not much, but it beats paying tuition.
 
I have never been a big fan of specialized degrees. If physics is really your love and life, get a degree in physics. Von Braun was a physicist, Goddard was a physicist, even Elon Musk, space-x founder, is a physicist. BTW, in case you didn't notice, I have a preference for physicists. Also, if you go with physics, you get paid to go to graduate school. It's not much, but it beats paying tuition.

I'm also a physicist, but that would drag down the field. So, add in Sheldon Cooper, Richard Feynman, Stephen Hawking, and Leonard Hofstadter to bring balance to the universe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_physicists
 
Lot's of good info in this thread and AE is still rather boom and bust, sort of the nature of the industry. I'm working on a masters in AE now, and have done a few things since my BAE in 2004. You can shoot questions to me if you'd like as well. The course load does get rough, but if you can find time to be involved in AIAA, SAE, and/or ASME etc and work on some of the student projects that will help, not only will you get to know upperclassmen who can help out, but you'll get to see how the things you learn in class are applied, in design and build.
 
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I got my undergrad in ME with an AE focus in '10 and an ME masters in '11 - did a bunch of work on hall effect thrusters during grad school and now I work specifically on solid rocket motors. Engineering is awesome - if you're stuck read some technical papers that are specific to your interests. They always connected the heavy math and technical with the "cool factor" for me, it is a lot easier to bear the workload when you see the application, at least for me. PM me if you want!
 
Thank you to everyone for all your input.

One thing that is making me double guess my choice of major and career has to do with my math ability. In the past I have had a terrible calculus 1 and 2 teacher, they taught me the bare minimums of derivatives and integrals.

Now I am in calculus 3 and struggling from the complex functions and cannot integrate them without help from a third party. So I already decided I am going to retake calculus 2 next semester as I will not pass calculus 3 with a good grade.

Plus I still need to take differential equations which is nothing but integrals. So I am getting a little frustrated and getting down on life. That is why i decided to take the time to reach out to anyone I can to try to boost my confidence so thank you.
 
Years ago at the Univ. of Ill. aeronautical engineering had the most math of all the engineering departments. We probably had the most statics and dynamics (physics), too. For Advanced Calculus I had a Prof that was in a bad mood. I was really depressed, but I ended up getting a B in the course and so I felt a lot better, but he had me scared for awhile. It really helps if you know Euler's Identity for complex variables. If your course is solely complex variables, you will need to know how to take integrals around a singularity thereby finding residues. Differential Equations is actually more than just simply integrating. You need to integrating factors, series, and lots of other things. In all these math courses it pays to not only have good math teachers, but also good books. In all honesty it doesn't hurt to have an easy grading teaching now and then, because that allows you some breathing room to keep up with the other courses during the semester. If you have a good book and the teacher is easy, you can always fall back on a good book, but you need to discipline yourself. It probably pays to do problems from the book. This is the hard part with an easy teacher, who does not assign much homework.

Overall, you probably need some love of math to excel, especially if you going to be an analyst. Program managers and project engineers do need to know the higher math forwards and backwards. There were a few times in working on the BS when I felt like quitting, especially with an unfriendly Prof. Once I got over those times, things went pretty well. If your passion is in this area, then I would say stick with it. Things will eventually work out.
 
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Years ago at the Univ. of Ill. aeronautical engineering had the most math of all the engineering departments. We probably had the most statics and dynamics (physics), too. For Advanced Calculus I had a Prof that was in a bad mood. I was really depressed, but I ended up getting a B in the course and so I felt a lot better, but he had me scared for awhile. It really helps if you know Euler's Identity for complex variables. If your course is solely complex variables, you will need to know how to take integrals around a singularity thereby finding residues. Differential Equations is actually more than just simply integrating. You need to integrating factors, series, and lots of other things. In all these math courses it pays to not only have good math teachers, but also good books. In all honesty it doesn't hurt to have an easy grading teaching now and then, because that allows you some breathing room to keep up with the other courses during the semester. If you have a good book and the teacher is easy, you can always fall back on a good book, but you need to discipline yourself. It probably pays to do problems from the book. This is the hard part with an easy teacher, who does not assign much homework.

Overall, you probably need some love of math to excel, especially if you going to be an analyst. Program managers and project engineers do need to know the higher math forwards and backwards. There were a few times in working on the BS when I felt like quitting, especially with an unfriendly Prof. Once I got over those times, things went pretty well. If your passion is in this area, then I would say stick with it. Things will eventually work out.

Thank you for typing that out.

I really do have a love for math it simply is outstanding. We are going over Frenet Vectors right now and they are so elegant and beautiful.

It is just tough to continue in higher math with a bad base of the basics. Luckily my wife is studying Chemistry and taking all the classes I am so we are learning together. But we are deciding tonight if we need to retake calculus 2 just to help us in our further classes.

I really have tried to excel during my calculus 1 and 2 classes I spent at least 3 hours a week at the tutoring center at my school which is free, plus the amount of time I spent on homework. But now I cannot spend anytime at tutoring center because they only provide tutoring up to calculus 2.

So I am spending every minute I am not at my full time job studying math.
 
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I don't know if they still have Schaum's outline series. In my later years those paper bound books were very helpful. Surprisingly I found the Schaum's outline for Complex Variables to be invaluable for Hydrodynamics, but years later I found that it was good for complex variables, too.
 
statistics.

I used that form of math more than anything else.

...my two cents...
 
If you're really struggling with math, a change of majors might be in order. This doesn't mean giving up engineering, just switching to one a little less math intensive. Of course I'm biased. I worked at the Univ. of Okla. School of Industrial Engineering for a little over 12 years. I.E. is mostly about Engineering Management, although there are many areas of interest such as ergonomics and human factors, manufacturing and production, simulations, logistics, operations research, and more. You'll still need a basic set of engineering core requirements such as thermo, strengths, etc. but a lot of the math is statistics and experimental design. And just who are Industrial Engineers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_industrial_engineers
The list includes:
Roger Corman - American film Producer and Director
Nancy Currie
- Astronaut
Timothy D. Cook
- Chief Executive Officer, Apple Inc.
John Z. DeLorean
Michael Eskew - CEO, United Parcel Service
Henry Ford
Homer Hickam (ever heard of him?)
Charles O. Holliday - CEO, DuPont
Lee Iacocca
Jonathan Ive - Senior Vice President - Apple Inc.
Tom Landry (yeah, the Man in the Hat was an IE)
Edwin Moses
John Muir
- Founder of Sierra Club
David Walters - former governor of Oklahoma - an OU IE grad

Now I can't guarantee that if you get a degree in IE that you'll be rich, famous, or even successful, but it will put your feet firmly on that path. Where you go is up to you.
 
Thank you for typing that out.

I really do have a love for math it simply is outstanding. We are going over Frenet Vectors right now and they are so elegant and beautiful.

It is just tough to continue in higher math with a bad base of the basics. Luckily my wife is studying Chemistry and taking all the classes I am so we are learning together. But we are deciding tonight if we need to retake calculus 2 just to help us in our further classes.

I really have tried to excel during my calculus 1 and 2 classes I spent at least 3 hours a week at the tutoring center at my school which is free, plus the amount of time I spent on homework. But now I cannot spend anytime at tutoring center because they only provide tutoring up to calculus 2.

So I am spending every minute I am not at my full time job studying math.

I think the secret to applied math is to work through as many exercises as you have time for. I did this in my undergraduate differential equations class and aced it. More abstract math like group theory requires a more contemplative approach, but the applied stuff you can just muscle through it.

Also, if you are missing some basics, it is best to go back and learn it. Otherwise you'll always be at a disadvantage. Fortunately, it will be easier with more advanced stuff already under your belt.

Finally, keep in mind that we never really fully understand things. Each time we revisit a subject we add to our understanding. At some point you get diminishing returns. I think three non-contiguous passes through a subject is the magic number. You'll pretty much own it then.
 
Also please understand the concepts are not overwhelming I understand everything I am being taught.

I just don't have a good understanding of the basics of integration. In my calc 2 class we spent 2.5 months on Riemann sums which does not help anyone understand complex integrals. We spent one day on U-substitution, two days on partial fraction decomposition, and one day on solids of revolution.

So I will not be changing my major, I fully understand the concepts more so then other students in my Calc 3 class. Our teach decided to take a day to describe what a derivative and integral mean in a real world situation. In other words velocity/acceleration/position and half my class was hearing this for the first time.
 
Also please understand the concepts are not overwhelming I understand everything I am being taught.

I just don't have a good understanding of the basics of integration.

I totally understand your problem. One of my first degrees was math. I had exactly the same problem. I could do differentials in my head all day long, but just couldn't get integrals. The only thing I can suggest is to practice a bunch. Keep after it, and hopefully understanding will come with time/exposure. We're all pulling for you!


So I will not be changing my major

Well, I had to try. I guess not everyone can be a boss :tongue:.
 
I totally understand your problem. One of my first degrees was math. I had exactly the same problem. I could do differentials in my head all day long, but just couldn't get integrals. The only thing I can suggest is to practice a bunch. Keep after it, and hopefully understanding will come with time/exposure. We're all pulling for you!

Well, I had to try. I guess not everyone can be a boss :tongue:.

Thanks for the encouragement and the laugh :)

Yeah my wife was in the same Calc 2 class and we are planning on retaking it at this point. We both want to not only get our degree but get good grades so we will retake it strengthen our math base.

I then plan on taking DFQ after that since it is more integral based then Calc 3. Then if I have to retake Calc 3 I will do it after that, so I atleast have a plan.

I do admit I did drop my study habits after calc 2 so that is one thing to blame and I really have a tought time learning online so all the integral videos just do not help me much. So I will be spending a large chunk of time this semester not building rockets or going to the gun range (my other hobby).

I have had a lot of my questions answered and yet again the rocketry group pulls ahead at being helpful and friendly.
 
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