AboutPaul Soderman Expertise Aeronautics, Fluid Mechanics, Aeroacoustics, Noise Control, Muffler Design, Wind Tunnel Research.... I know nothing about India - do not ask about schools, jobs, application requirements, career choices, etc. for India. Please, no text message verbiage; I prefer full words in full sentences. Thanks.
Experience 38 years as research engineer at NASA
Publications AIAA, NASA
Education/Credentials B.S. and M.S. Aeronautical Engineering - U. of Washington
Graduate work Standford U.
Awards and Honors AIAA Associate Fellow (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Question Hello,
I am currently doing a report on the field of Aerospace Engineering. I need to interview someone who is currently employed in this field. The questions are:
1.Describe the duties and responsibilities of someone working in Aerospace engineering.
2.What are some specific job opportunities in this field?
3.What is your specialty in Aerospace Engineering?
4.What are some of the projects you’ve worked on as an engineer?
5.What is your daily routine?
6.How much of your time is spent on the computer?
7.What are the advantages of this profession?
8.Are there any disadvantages?
9.How about advancement opportunities?
10.Are employers evenly distributed or are they concentrated in certain areas of the country?
11.So do most people work for themselves, private industry, or the government?
12.What are the salary ranges one could expect to earn working in Aerospace Engineering?
13.Were there further education offerings through your workplace?
14.Did you have to travel?
15.What are the retirement benefits?
16.In what kind of environment is the work done? Indoors? Outdoors? On ship?
17.Is it possible to work at home (Telecommute)?
18.Do you work alone or with other people?
19. Were there any tests or licenses you had to achieve before you became a licensed engineer?
20.What is your most satisfying experience so far?
21.Is this what you thought you were going to do in high school?
22.How about in college?
23.What degree did you get in college?
24.How long have you work in your profession?
25.Do you know anything about the employment opportunities for recent graduates of high school and college?
26.Do you have any advice for someone looking to go into Aerospace Engineering?
If you could answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated.
Answer David - I get so many of these type questions that I have a canned response I hope will suffice:
Generally, aeronautical engineers design and develop aerospace devices such as aircraft, missiles, race cars, jet engines, etc. I was in research at NASA Ames Research Center where I was responsible for planning and executing wind tunnel studies aimed at improving our understanding of aeronautics and related technologies.
A normal day involved examination of scientific literature, planning experiments, writing code for data analysis, analyzing experimental results, meeting with my peers, requesting support from management, writing reports, etc. I traveled 4 to 6 times a year to various laboratories or scientific conferences.
The quality of work was high. The pay was good, not exceptional, but government employees have good benefits such as excellent vacation time, sick leave and pensions. Hours were good, we had the option of working 9 nine hour days and getting a three-day weekend every other weekend. Job locations in aerospace are limited by the few number of organizations in the field, but jobs do exist all over the country.
Research is never boring, not counting the occasional meetings on team morale or time efficiency that we had to attend.
I often worked with engineers with different expertise such as electronics engineers, mechanical designers, software programmers, system control engineers, etc.
The projects I worked on can be found in engineering libraries - search on my name. One project I was proud of was the investigation of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. I did the aero design the gas sample instrument. We found what causes the hole, which led to the worldwide banning of fluro-hydrocarbons.
For this job you must be expert in math and physics as well as computer programming, electronics, and so on.
In high school I was inspired to be an engineer by my physics teacher and decided I wanted to build bridges or aircraft. I chose aircraft and am glad. I studied two years at Oregon State University, three at U. of Washington, and off and on at Stanford U. I have B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. In those days one only had to apply for college, and if your high school grades were adequate you were given a chance. I don't remember any SAT exam. The flunk out rate the first year of engineering was high. After graduate school, I found that aerospace companies were recruiting but I chose to go to NASA Ames. And I stayed for almost 38 years.
High school students should take all the math and science they can get, especially physics.
Starting salary depends on many factors such as academic performance, skill set, experience, location, and more. I imagine salaries now start at $60,000 per year more or less, but I haven't checked lately. You can find that information on line.
Paul
