Expert: Paul Soderman - 8/23/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello, currently I am an undergraduate student in the Mechanical Engineering program at Stony Brook University in New York. I expect orecieve my Bachelor's Degree in May 2008. Thus, I have been desperately seraching for the ideal graduate program for my career prospectives. Yet, I am unsure of my career prospectives. I have always been intrigued by the space program as well as anything having to do with aerospace/aeronautics. Thus, my concentration would be in aerospace engineering. Yet, during my research for candidate schools I have discovered a plethora of choices from rotorcraft engineering to icing research and even a combination of wind engineering with structural aerodynamics. In short, I feel completely overwhelmed by the number of choices that all seem so delightful. I had initally thought that gradaute school would be the place to help me decide what I wanted to do before I go into the work force. But now that I don't know which program to apply for it may be a better idea for me to take a year off and gain some work experience in the field. Therefore, could you tell me a little more about your career history such as the projects that you have worked on? Working with the space program? How is pay and job outlook? What was graduate study like? Any advice or suggestions you could give me would be absolutely wonderful. I thank you for your time and generosity.

ANSWER: Hi Jessica
I think graduate studies in Aero Engineering is a great choice, and I think the schools are making it sound more complicated than it really is.  When I got my M.S. in aero at the U. of Washington years ago, 80% of the classes dealt with science and math that would be important to any aero engineer. It was only the few electives that allowed us to choose a special field; but in my case I chose stability and control, which I seldom used later.  So, you really don't have to choose a specialty up front - just find a good school for aero and the specialties will come later.
Working for NASA was a great experience for me, but I am unsure about current prospects because the space program is so expensive that the aeronautics that I loved is getting squeezed financially.  And jobs are hard to come by.  On the other hand, certain fields such as nanotechnology may be in demand.  An internship at a NASA center would be helpful to find the opportunities that appeal to you.  Or maybe a job in aerospace industry could do the same.  Just don't wait too long to get that Masters, because it gets harder as you get older and established in life.  Good luck.
Paul

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QUESTION: I was under the impression that Graduate school was more like applying for a job than school. As such, the application requires you to apply for a specific position in a specific research lab for a particular topic to work with a certain Ph.D. or Professor. That is what I felt was the premise of the statement of purpose. What research topic did you work on? How is the level of coursework? I would expect it to be very intensive, as any engineering degree would be. I find it interesting that you point out the foundation courses that would be required for any engineering discipline and only a select few are specialized. I know that it can be a disadvantage in the job market if you become too specialized. As far as NASA is concerned, since it is a government agency I have been informed that jobs and well as pay fluctuates greatly with politics; as expected. Would it be difficult to maintain steady work at such an institution? Otherwise maybe it would be more beneficial to go with a private aerospace company. I would have loved to get an internship at NASA. Having the first hand experience would certainly open my eyes to the opportunity. But since I will be graduating in May I am not sure if I could be considered for an internship over the summer or not. Maybe there are opportunities available for someone in my situation? I would have liked to get my Masters as soon as possible, while keeping with the academic momentum. Yet, I feel that I am uneducated in the aerospace world and it might be advantageous to work in the field for one year to see what it is really like and then decide from there. Initially, I thought I could use graduate school to decided whether or not aerospace, as well as which aspect of aerospace would be the best choice for me. Yet, I wouldn't want the experience to be a waste of time and money if it turns out to not be the right path. It's a tough call. I am at a crossroad between going for the master's right away or getting some job experience first. I am unsure whether or not waiting would affect my chances of getting into graduate school. Sorry, I know I am throwing a lot at you. I really appreciate your opinion and words from experience. Thank you again. I look forward to hearing from you.
ANSWER: Hi Jessica - Boy that is a lot, but here goes. I never heard of a school requiring a student to apply for a research lab position.  Most students do not work for professors.  I took a Research Assistant position with a professor my final quarter because I needed the money, but it cost me 20 hours a week and seemed like a huge impediment to my studies, which are, as you suspect, quite rigorous at that level.  I did computer studies related to wind tunnel design using vortex ring modeling.
I recommend graduate school over work experience because you will be working for many years and the extra credential will not only give you more clout scientifically, but it will help your salary from day one.  It is seldom a waste of time. Graduate studies in aero may or may not help you find the right job, but it will help you decide if you like the subject material.  If you like aero, you will be in a good position to consider different job offers.  That said, work experience could help you decide what academic work to pursue, but it is difficult to get a broad experience as a new employee.  I found that going to graduate school and working summers for Boeing worked for me, but others took other paths.  You have to hold your breath and jump in.  No one else knows what is best for you.
Oh one thing.  Finding a job as a NASA employee (not contractor) may be difficult, but very very few government employees ever get laid off.  The worst that can happen is getting a bad assignment, but if you want to succeed you can usually find a job that is satisfying.  And you will find that women have a big advantage because there are so few of them in engineering.  I found that the women on my staff brought a valuable perspective to problem solving.  When it comes time to find a job, I would look for something very interesting;don't worry about pay or job security.  That will come.  I wish I could tell you about the fun I had working on sky-diver wind tunnels.  There are great opportunities out there.
Good luck.
Paul

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QUESTION: I guess I was mis-informed about the research position. As far as finances go, I was told that I could get a company to pay for my degree. But obviously it would make sense if I were working for that company and intended to work for that company some time afterwards as well. In that case, I might need to be working for a while before they are willing to invest in my education. But I am really not sure. It is nice to hear you say that you recommend graduate school over working. Honestly, it would be my first choice. Personally, I really enjoy being a student. And as you said the subject material may help me decide if I like aero or not; which was my original intent. What was it like to work for Boeing? What kind of tasks were you responsible for? Women in engineering is a rare thing, which I realize may be an advantage in the job market. Thank you for your kinds words about their potential and performance in the industry. I have found that some are more skeptical about our abilities. But I don't let that discourage me at all. Sky-diver wind tunnels?

Answer
Yes Jessica, many companies and NASA especially will pay for graduate studies in return for a commitment to work a number of years.  It is a nice way to go, you earn a full salary, and if you can handle the job and studies you can sometimes go as far as you like.  Several of my friends got PhD's at Stanford that way through NASA Ames.  It does take a long time however.  I chose to spend one year on my own to get my Masters and then did more graduate study while working at NASA.

I worked at Boeing a long time ago (1965-66) and enjoyed the experience and decided not to work for a huge company.  One summer I was on a wind tunnel test team and got to record data during supersonic flow studies.  It was an introduction.  I didn't get to analyze aircraft performance, but I got to see others do it.  One summer I was on the 747 flight test team and spent the whole time doing nothing but studying how to do flight tests because the 747 was not quite ready for the maiden flight.  That convinced me I wanted to go into research.  I did get to go on one beautiful flight over the Cascade range.

Sky-diver wind tunnels are a relatively new phenomenon that I got involved in recently as a consultant.  Imagine a 12-ft diameter vertical duct with air blowing upward at 100 mph.  Now imagine jumping into the flow and flying.  This is exactly what happens and allows divers to practice maneuvers without the danger of learning in free fall.  You can find these at various cities such as Phoenix and Denver. My job was to help solve some of the technical issues along with another retired NASA aerodynamicist.  We enjoy the challenge.

Women in engineering - one of my best group members was a young lady who could hold her own with anyone technically, mixed it up with the guys in meetings, led many successful projects, wrote excellent technical papers, and was especially good with the many human resource problems such as dealing with management, dealing with problem people, dealing with bureaucracy etc.  I would hire someone like that in a minute.
Paul