Expert: Ray Wilkinson - 5/25/2007

Question
sir,i have completed my b.tech in aeronautics in india.i am now planning to pursue my masters degree abroad.i want to know which field in aeronautics would hold better job opportunities and an excellent pay.
waiting for your reply...

Answer
Hi Allaana

Aeronautics covers a wide range of fields, from aircraft design and manufacture, to operations, to space, to missiles systems. There are fewer opportunities in operations for graduates, but the others are quite strong.

Space is quite a small field at the moment, but there is of course a space industry in India - ISRO. However, many predict that the space industry is going to grow enormously over the next decade or so, as space tourism develops, led by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic as it begins operations in the next couple of years. However, no-one's quite sure how it will develop.

On the military side, it is generally quite a steady industry, although there are ebbs and flows. There's less opportunity for foreign nationals in any country's defence programmes due to national security issues.

In the civil aircraft industry, again things are okay at the moment, but the doubt here is whether environmental issues will slow down the rate of growth in air travel over the coming years, reducing demand and thus opportunity. Avionics and systems design is a major growth area in civil and military aerospace.

Whichever field you enter, there are no longer jobs for life. Aerospace is a boom-and-bust industry, and the next time someone decides to crash an airliner into something big, it will again cause major reductions in demand, and lots of people will be out of work. Nowhere is safe - the military is completely dependent on government spending, so there are relatively frequent redundancy rounds here as well.

However, it can be an extremely rewarding industry to work in. To be able to look at an aircraft or aerospace system and say, 'I helped to bring that into service' is a great feeling. I would suggest that you decide which area really interests you and go for that. Good luck.

If you are interested in applying for a Masters degree in Aeropsace Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire (about 15 miles north of London in beautiful countryside and with a strong reputation for aerospace), let me know. We require a good Honours first degree in a relevant subject.

Regards

Ray