Expert: David A. NewMyer - 9/3/2004

Question
Hi! Here's the deal. I am finishing six years in the Air Force as an enlisted aircrew member (AWACS). My B.S. in Aviation Management Safety at Southeastern Oklahoma State University will be complete within the next year. What jobs are available to me out there in the aviation industry? I want to be challenged and jump in with both feet!

Answer
Hi, Robert:

Thanks for your question.  I will try to assist.

As far as what jobs are out there, there are lots of them.  It does depend on where you want to work (location) and what segment of the aviation industry that you want to (and are qualified to) work in.  The segments of the aviation industry to choose from, in descending order of size/numbers of total jobs, are:

CIVILIAN SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY

Aviation/Aerospace Manufacturing, including military, commercial (airlines and general aviation) and space

Airlines, including major, national, regional and all cargo)

General Aviation including fixed base operators/aviation service companies, charter operations, fractional ownership companies, corporate flight departments, aircraft maintenance providers and many others.

Government (including federal, state and local, and includes such employment areas as air traffic control, TSA/security, and most larger airports).

And, then, there is the Military side of aviation (which you already know something about)...USAF, Navy, Marines, Army and Coast Guard all have an aviation contingent.

To find out about job availability in the civilian world, check into the following:

1.  Air Jobs Digest....a paper and online service.  The paper subscription is $50 for three months and you get a large monthly, newspaper-sized publication that lists both government and aviation industry jobs by classification of jobs (pilot, mechanic, computers, management, sales, etc).

2.  These websites are worth looking at:

www.avcrew.com

www.aviationemployment.com

www.aeps.com

www.nationjob.com/aviation/

and, for pilots:

www.findapilot.com

www.aviationinterviews.com

3.  And, go to individual employer websites such as:

www.boeing.com  (Boeing only accepts resumes sent via their website)

www.jetblue.com/workhere/webdisplay.aspx  (Jetblue Airways)

Lockheed Martin:
http://lmpeople.external.lmco.com/careers/search/search.asp

Federal Aviation Administration:
www.faa.gov/jobs/index.cfm

The above are just a few examples to check out.

I wish you all the best in your job search.  As you prepare your job search, remember to customize your resume for each employer, or segment of employment, and to remember to look for jobs in segments of the industry (such as aerospace manufacturing) where you might have some applicable job experience or systems/aircraft familiarity to apply to a particular job or employer.

Let me know if you have any other questions via a follow up question via Allexperts.com

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu