A Career Overview: Aerospace Engineers
Most great math students in high school are often indecisive on what career or major they want to pursue in life. A lot of them look towards the engineering fields, but even then it could be hard to choose because there are so many types of engineering careers to choose from. Almost like a basket full of great snacks and you do not know which one is best to eat at the time. However, knowing your interests is the first step to help you pick one of these careers far more easily than someone who has no idea what they want to do at all. For a person interested in aerodynamics, engineering, and a high salary, being an aerospace engineer is a rewarding career. At first glance, this career may seem like an extremely rewarding one, and it is. However, there is a lot of hard work that goes into becoming an aerospace engineer. For most students in a university, or any kind of college for that matter, the curriculum can be rigorous.
Typically, aerospace engineers need a degree in aerospace engineering. But, other degrees that are related to the career are acceptable for some jobs. To get this degree, the classes you have to take in college include “Calculus 1, 2, and 3, Aerodynamics 1, 2, and 3, and other related classes”. Much like most degrees, a degree in aerospace engineering will require four years of education. Skills in this career field are also a large factor in being successful. Some skills include “analytical skills, business skills, critical-thinking skills, math skills, problem-solving skills, and writing skills”. However, these are skills that can be used on any job site in the engineering field. More specific knowledge would include the understanding of math subjects such as “arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and physics”.
Despite the difficulty of the education and the skills you need in order to be successful in this career, the job is not very physically taxing. The main thing an aerospace engineer needs as far as “physicality goes is stress tolerance”. Any job can be stressful when trying to meet deadlines or get anything done on time, so it is important that you know how to manage stress when doing any job like this. Other than that, most of the effects you will feel from this job will be mental. Much like the physical requirements, there are not many safety issues either. “Aerospace engineers now spend more of their time in an office environment than they have in the past because modern aircraft design requires the use of sophisticated computer equipment and software design tools, modeling, and simulations for tests, evaluation, and training”. This means that they spend most of their time designing at a computer more than anything. Therefore, most of this job’s safety issues would include any hazards that are common in an office ranging from papercuts to electrical fires. So, if a safe environment is what you are looking for in a job, this job is one of the safest jobs to have as far as engineering goes. So far this job may seem simple enough. A job where you spend the most time in the office and doing math does not sound that bad. However, every job comes with its responsibilities.
Aerospace engineers are no exception. They have many responsibilities on the job such as “designing and testing aircraft and aerospace products and assessing proposals for projects to determine if they are technically and financially feasible”. This means that they are constantly designing and redesigning products as well as testing them. They also have to “make sure that the company can afford those designs” on top of that. Being an aerospace engineer is no easy task. Despite all of those responsibilities, the first step to all of them is finding a job in your field. The most common locations for this job are in areas that work with “rockets, planes, and aviation”. More specifically cities such as Houston, TX, and Huntsville, AL. “They are some of the most common areas people with this major seek work”. “NASA is a very common company to work for with a degree in this field”. Due to the fact that again, they specialize in rockets and aviation. The conditions for this job are also important to note before pursuing this career. “Aerospace engineers typically work full time. On projects, they often require more hours of work”. This means long work schedules and if someone that can’t manage stress has this job, it can easily take over. “They usually have their own workspaces located close to other aerospace engineers and personnel responsible for designing and building aircraft, space vehicles, weapons, and their components”. As a result, most engineers end up working alone on projects and regular tasks at work. Since most of the time spent working on the job will be in an office, the suggested dress for this job is not very specific. Aerospace engineers will be required to wear common office attire, or business casual. There is no truly specific required dress for this job, however, this is a professional setting, so professional attire is highly suggested. One of the main reasons people choose a job like this, or any career in the engineering field for that matter, is the job outlook and the income. There is a high reward for all of the hard work aerospace engineers have to go through.
For example, “in 2017, aerospace engineers averaged a total salary of $113,030”. That is almost twenty percent more than all engineers at the time. Their salaries are also always continuing to grow. The job outlook for this career is also impressive “as it will grow up to six percent higher by the year 2026”. So this career does prove to be very rewarding on a monetary level. So, there is a lot that goes into becoming and being aerospace engineers. There are so many different responsibilities and rewards for having this job. Some aspects of the job may even seem like it is an overwhelming career. However, if you can get past all of the stressful parts of having this job, becoming an aerospace engineer can be a rewarding career for anyone interested in aerodynamics, engineering, and a high salary.
