Expert: Paul Soderman - 11/5/2007

Question
Paul,

I am US student and I will be seeking out a job in the Aero industry next year. Just so you can answer some of my questions, here is my background.

I am working on a Master's degree Mechanical Engineering and I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2009. All of my graduate classes have been related to fluid mechanics and airbreathing propulsion. My research is focused on turbomachinery and for my thesis I am designing/building a high speed (50k) centrifugal compressor rig.

My questions start with what do most jobs consist of in the engineering field? For example, someone of my status who has just entered the field, what would my day to day tasks be like; and how do these tasks change as my time/experience increases. I ask this because I have heard from numerous sources that 50% - 90% of my time will be spent in meetings depending on my field/position. The next question, are there many areas in the Aero field that are low profit like automotive. I have been told to avoid this because a good portion of time is wasted designing a product and then redesigning it using poorer/more expensive materials/methods just to prove that your design is the best. Also, how much numerical analysis is used in the Aero industry? I am working on a Master's degree right now, is a Ph.D. something that I should look into if I plan to work in the industy and what benefits/restrictions that this imposes on my career. Lastly, how hard will it be for me to find a job in the Aero industry given my experience and knowledge; and what do you look for in new employees?

I appreciate any responses that you can provide to my questions and thank you for your time.

Kyle

Answer
Kyle
Congratulations on getting this far.  You are where I was 40 years ago, and it has been a good ride for me.  I trust your career will be just as rewarding.  I would suggest taking a course in aerodynamics to balance out your experience, but now for your questions.

My experience in engineering is that you spend most of your time researching a problem, defining requirements, designing a solution, building codes to help with the data, and analyzing results.  You will be meeting with people all the time to exchange ideas or tasks, but sit-down meetings should not take more than 3-5 hours a week at first.  If you go into management, that number will increase exponentially,

I never had to dumb down a design.  In aerospace, things have to work well because of the risk to life and limb.  Redesign is always possible for weight reduction, cost reduction, or some functionality.  The proof in a good design is that it satisfies the requirements.  Good requirement definition is critical to the process and will be part of your job.

At NASA and at Boeing we did lots of numerical analysis.  That is a much cheaper and faster way to prove a concept than is experimental verification, but both are required sooner or later.

Ph.D. or not is a very personal question,  It certainly improves your resume, but it requires tremendous effort and tends to steer you toward certain types of jobs such as teaching, theoretical analysis, etc.  I would say get one if you can, but don't worry about it if you find yourself on another path.

I am no longer familiar with the job market, but I believe there are many good jobs in aerospace for good people.  Check the Boeing or NASA websites to see what they are looking for.  When I was hiring people, I looked for someone with a good track record academically, someone who was enthusiastic about the potential job, and someone I could talk to in a meaningful way.  Best of luck.
Paul