Aerospace Engineering: Essential Information In Pursuing This Career

In the development of any community, engineers are always part of the progress.  They are the knowledgeable professionals in understanding how things work and make life more convenient.  From building infrastructure to transportation, these engineers are involved and one of the specializations in engineering is that of the aerospace engineer.

Educational Requirements For Aerospace Engineering

To pursue the aerospace engineering career, it is essential to prepare ahead of time even before the college degree.  It is highly suggested that in high school, subjects related to aerospace engineering should be taken up.  Find out the basics of this discipline through other forms of media from books, documentaries and videos.  If possible, visit actual workspace of the aerospace engineers to get a glimpse of what their professional lives are.  Doing so, will increase the desire to be this kind of engineer in the future.  Aim for above average grades to provide a serious intention of getting in the aerospace industry.

Aerospace engineering can be completed in four years of full time schooling in an ABET accredited university.  The subjects that will be discussed during the college period touch more on mathematics, engineering and physics.  As a specialized form of mechanical engineering, it is essential to understand the nature of air, thermodynamics and properties of fluid dynamics.  Obtain experience while studying by getting and internship or working part time in the aerospace industry.  Though this is not compulsory, the exposure will definitely boost the resume when applying for a full-time job after graduation.

When graduating from the aerospace engineering course, entry-level positions can be landed.  It is best to create connections with people already in the aerospace industry to make the job searching easier.  For those seeking higher positions, it is best to finish graduate degrees in this engineering discipline.  This is especially true for jobs that encompass higher levels of research or when seeking to be a university professor.  Maintaining the competency in the job require the aerospace engineer to continue education and keeping up with the new technologies related to the work.

Aerospace Engineering Duties And Responsibilities

Aerospace Engineering CareerAerospace engineering is a broad discipline that comprises anything that is created for air transportation including space vehicles, missiles and earthbound vehicles.  Under this type of engineering there are two significant categories namely the aeronautical and astronautical engineering.  Aeronautical engineering deals with the aircraft and any other craft that flies within the atmosphere while astronautical engineering handles the spacecraft and any other necessary systems.

Aerospace engineers help in each step of production of any vehicle or machine for air, space and even ocean exploration.  From the design process to development then testing and supervising the production, these are all under the responsibility of the aerospace engineer.  These engineers are focused on one-step and specialize in a product depending on their interest.  This means that an aerospace engineer may be solely involved in the designing activity of a military aircraft while another may be working on the designing a spaceship.

Among the specializations that an aerospace engineer may work are navigation, control systems, propulsion, flight mechanics, structural design and thermodynamics.

Career Opportunities Of An Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineers have many options even though it is already a specialized engineering discipline.  These engineers can work in the government such as the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration or NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  Those who work in government agencies are tasked to develop and maintain the safety methods that directly and indirectly affect the aircraft across the US.  Other aerospace engineers are assigned to do research and development on newfound technologies that can be used for the aerospace industry like in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the state of California.  There are aerospace engineers who work for companies that produce essential equipment for spacecraft and missiles.  Such companies can be under government contract to supply such parts to government projects.

Aircraft companies have the highest employment for the aerospace engineers.  These engineers are able to contribute in the creation of electronic devices, communication systems and engines among the many other parts used for aircraft.  Aerospace engineers may also focus on designing and testing new frameworks and structures to measure their ability to stand against any stress such as pressure and heat in a wind tunnel.  This experimentation and testing process allows for the development of durable and high quality aircraft and spacecraft.

For aerospace engineers working on the control and guidance systems, these engineers concentrate on safety mechanisms of aircraft as well as ocean craft.  This can be seen in the automated ILS or Instrumentation Landing Systems where aircraft are able to land safely during nigh time or in bad weather conditions.  Submarines also benefit from the workmanship of the aerospace engineers through the automatic navigation equipment that they have.

In the long run, aerospace engineers are able to become experts in their chosen specializations.  These engineers will know how military fighter jets, missiles, rockets, spacecraft, commercial aircraft and helicopters are created.

Salary And Working Environment Of An Aerospace Engineer

Salary of the aerospace engineer is on the high side with the median yearly income at $102,420.  The salary range of these engineers is from $65,310 to $147,810 per year.  Those who have graduated from reputable aerospace schools have a better change in landing entry-level jobs in aerospace engineering that pays at $60,000 or more per annum.  A study reveals that the top paying industry in aerospace engineering is the management, scientific and technical consulting service.  The annual mean wage for the aerospace engineers is at $115,780.

Working AreaAerospace engineers work in comfortable offices with well-lit work area and using the latest computer software for their designing and simulation process.  This means that regular working hours are followed on the standard forty-hour week schedules.  In any case that a project is approaching its deadline, the engineers have to work additional hours to complete the work on time.

For aerospace engineers that are handling projects themselves work longer hours on a regular basis.  This is because they have to make sure that the project is ready on the set date and the design is built according to standards.  Most of the aerospace engineers are quite satisfied with their careers and continue to hone their abilities as they gain work experience.

The demand for the aerospace engineering is stable as the industry is exploring on other aircraft and spacecraft both for private, government and commercial use.  For those that have a high interest on how these crafts work and would like to make a career in creating these flying machine with all its components, then being an aerospace engineer can be a great choice.  A career is certainly rewarding when seeing people are more connected with their family and friends as the world is getting smaller with the increase of aircraft available.


  1. this is the right job for me

  2. What subjects should i work on for me to do aerospace engineering ?

  3. Good points! Bookmarking to check back for follow-ups later.

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