Expert: Paul Soderman - 9/7/2007

Question
Dear Mr. Soderman,
      I'm a sophomore in high school doing a report on Aerospace engineering.  In our report we have to interview somebody that knows something about our field.  You seem like a good candidate an I was wondering if you could answer the following questions.
Q:What courses would you recommend to take in high school?
Q:Do you have to travel allot? If so how far usually?
Q:How much time do you spend on the computer?
Q:What is a typical day for you?
Q:Do you enjoy what you do?
Q:Do you use what you learned in school or college?
Q:How hard is it to get a job when coming out of college?
Q:Is there any good benefits in this field?
Q:What types of projects do you usually work on?
Q:Will this profession last me from the day I start till I retire?
                                   Thank You for your time
                                   Sincerly,
                                   Michael

Answer
Hi Michael
I am now retired,l but can answer your questions in past tense.

a)  Physics, chemistry and all the math you can find.
b)  Yes, we often went to the east coast, L.A., or Europe.
c)  Five or six hours a day.
d)  Work on data analysis, code development, test planning, meetings, budget planning, personnel problems, meetings, report writing.
e)  Yes, very much.  We develop technology that never existed before.
f)  Yes, every day.
g)  Not very hard if you have good grades and a sound academic record.
h)  Yes, satisfaction of being on a technology frontier, good pay.
i)  Research projects
j)  Yes