Aerospace Engineering?

[About2bite]

Been looking into Mechanical Engineering but this has been in the back of my head for a while now as well. Anyone on here an aerospace engineer or going to school for it. Haven't looked into it much but notice a big aerospace company called Goodrich that is in the Phoenix area and it looks very interesting.

My indecisiveness for a career is killing me and I need to get the ball rolling

:beer:

 

[99cobra302]

if you become one, you will be able to say cool things like ".....cmon, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure this out....."

 

[Seraphus]

if you become one, you will be able to say cool things like ".....cmon, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure this out....."

LMAO good stuff.

I'd like to hear word on this as well, always been an interest of mine.

 

[gambill]

I work at an aerospace industry right now. If you'd ask me, I'd say stick with the mechanical engineering only because you have more of a field with jobs. The aerospace industry is limited and will play a lot on political issues. At my job, we already had 4 lay offs due to Mr. Obama being in office and cutting back Missile Defense and Space Programs.

 

[LOLasaurus]

I work at an aerospace industry right now. If you'd ask me, I'd say stick with the mechanical engineering only because you have more of a field with jobs. The aerospace industry is limited and will play a lot on political issues. At my job, we already had 4 lay offs due to Mr. Obama being in office and cutting back Missile Defense and Space Programs.

Came here to post this

Im a mech eng and Ive seen alot of aerospace positions that will accept a mech degree but not the other way around.

Plus like gambill said aerospace is a market that can change like the tides.

Job security >>>> everything else

 

[motoman991]

I chose mechanical instead of aerospace just because there are way more jobs. I'm currently a senior at Univ of Cincy right now.

 

[DKS2814V]

Aerospace Engineer here. Been out of school for 4 and a half years.

I work at an aerospace industry right now. If you'd ask me, I'd say stick with the mechanical engineering only because you have more of a field with jobs. The aerospace industry is limited and will play a lot on political issues. At my job, we already had 4 lay offs due to Mr. Obama being in office and cutting back Missile Defense and Space Programs.

Came here to post this

Im a mech eng and Ive seen alot of aerospace positions that will accept a mech degree but not the other way around.

Plus like gambill said aerospace is a market that can change like the tides.

Job security >>>> everything else

Huh? I'd say that you are both way off. He's talking about getting the degree...not the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry is indeed a bit volatile, but it really depends on how good you are, and what it is that you want to do. If you want to develop missile systems for say...the F22...yeah, you're going to have to plan for the volatility. If you want to develop structural webbing for the Boeing 787 wing, you're less likely to be exposed to swift market changes. I dealt with Goodrich in my previous role. They are a HUGE company, with lots of areas of expertise. Which were you considering?

In my opinion, there isn't more of a diverse discipline in engineering than aerospace. Except for maybe petroleum. You get a wide variety of structural engineering teachings, fluid flow (low speed and high speed) teachings, 3-D bodies rotated about various other bodies (e.g. space shuttle orbits, or space travel), etc.....it's really a catch-all for most specified fields out there. I had mechanical engineering friends in college, and their course work was quite elementary compared to some of the aerospace course work. I can offer a list of the classes that I took, and compare those with some of the guys on here with mechE degrees, if that helps you?

When I was doing my job search, a lot of companies were looking for mechanical engineering. However, when I spoke about the classes and learnings I had through my aerospace degree they were quite surprised at the level of diversity we had. This is especially true for structural analysis of moving bodies and aeroelasticity. One could argue that these kind of analyses far exceed any mechanical engineering or civil engineering courses.

To add, from what I've seen in the job world and talking to people within the engineering world, college is viewed as that avenue that displays "how fast and well you can learn what WE want to teach you." Obviously, you don't want to hire a business major to work engineering problems. However, you don't want to pidgeon-hole yourself into being SO specific you can't solve complex problems.

(no offense to any of those mechanical engineering guys out there, if it came across that way)

 

[jmk97GT]

if you become one, you will be able to say cool things like ".....cmon, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure this out....."

:lol:

This is especially true for structural analysis of moving bodies and aeroelasticity. One could argue that these kind of analyses far exceeds any mechanical engineering or civil engineering courses.

Yeah, you've got to go to grad school for structural engineering as a civil to learn anything about dynamic structural analysis. Also, as far as I know ME's don't have that coursework as an undergrad either (maybe a bit with machine design, etc).

 

[D's01Snake]

Two words. Embry-Riddle.

 

[DKS2814V]

Two words. Embry-Riddle.

Not a bad school. It's too bad they don't offer a lot of variety in post-graduate degrees.

 

[FEARED]

Two words. Embry-Riddle.

I am enrolled there now.

7 more classes till im done!:banana:

 

[D's01Snake]

Not a bad school. It's too bad they don't offer a lot of variety in post-graduate degrees.

I Disagree.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Aerospace Engineer here. Been out of school for 4 and a half years.





Huh? I'd say that you are both way off. He's talking about getting the degree...not the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry is indeed a bit volatile, but it really depends on how good you are, and what it is that you want to do. If you want to develop missile systems for say...the F22...yeah, you're going to have to plan for the volatility. If you want to develop structural webbing for the Boeing 787 wing, you're less likely to be exposed to swift market changes. I dealt with Goodrich in my previous role. They are a HUGE company, with lots of areas of expertise. Which were you considering?

In my opinion, there isn't more of a diverse discipline in engineering than aerospace. Except for maybe petroleum. You get a wide variety of structural engineering teachings, fluid flow (low speed and high speed) teachings, 3-D bodies rotated about various other bodies (e.g. space shuttle orbits, or space travel), etc.....it's really a catch-all for most specified fields out there. I had mechanical engineering friends in college, and their course work was quite elementary compared to some of the aerospace course work. I can offer a list of the classes that I took, and compare those with some of the guys on here with mechE degrees, if that helps you?

When I was doing my job search, a lot of companies were looking for mechanical engineering. However, when I spoke about the classes and learnings I had through my aerospace degree they were quite surprised at the level of diversity we had. This is especially true for structural analysis of moving bodies and aeroelasticity. One could argue that these kind of analyses far exceed any mechanical engineering or civil engineering courses.

To add, from what I've seen in the job world and talking to people within the engineering world, college is viewed as that avenue that displays "how fast and well you can learn what WE want to teach you." Obviously, you don't want to hire a business major to work engineering problems. However, you don't want to pidgeon-hole yourself into being SO specific you can't solve complex problems.

(no offense to any of those mechanical engineering guys out there, if it came across that way)

+1 to the above. One thing I'd like to add: Take the time to look into a particular school's curriculum. I went to the University of Maryland, where the aerospace requirements included practically everything that mechanical did, then piled on the aerospace-specific courses (aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, controls, etc.). Some other schools I had looked at only focused on the aerodynamics or skimped on the mechanical stuff. It all depends on what you think you'll want to do.

Again, no offense to the mech guys. In fact a lot of my friends are mechanical engineers, since we all took the same courses for the first 2 years.

 

[Chris _Scott]

I'm double majoring in both right now.. Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

I do not know about your school, but at UCF its actually really easy to just pick up both degrees, so I'll be doing that. I like to cover all my bases and not to be caught off guard, the extra 1-2 semesters will really be worth it in the end.

 

[DKS2814V]

I Disagree.

With what? Embry Riddle doesn't offer post graduate degrees. I think it's rated one of the top schools for AeroE otherwise....:shrug:

 

[D's01Snake]

Embry Riddle does offer a myriad of post graduate degrees. Any ERAU is in the top 2 or aero engineering.

 

[DKS2814V]

Embry Riddle does offer a myriad of post graduate degrees. Any ERAU is in the top 2 or aero engineering.

Ahhh, you're right. From what I've read, they don't offer any PhD courses...

Don't know much about Embry Riddle, but there are a few peeps around here that went there for their management portion.

 

[jmk97GT]

Ahhh, you're right. From what I've read, they don't offer any PhD courses...

Don't know much about Embry Riddle, but there are a few peeps around here that went there for their management portion.

Coming from Purdue where AeroE, Aviation, and AVTech are huge, I hear a lot about Embry Riddle. It's definitely one of the best in those fields - but so is Purdue. I know several people that turned down Embry Riddle to come here.

Embry Riddle definitely wins though for location - Daytona Beach or some river valley in Indiana?

 

[Satyr]

From some of the engineering courses I have taken through the University of Phoenix: Online, it seems that aeroE includes all of the major mechE classes, in addition to those that are specific to the aerospace industries.

 

[03CobraBro]

One of my best friends just finished up his post doctorate work over the summer in aeronautical engineering... (out of Purdue)

I envy him, yet I don't...

The one I'm most interested in is Motor sports engineering. It's a major only offered at IUPUI. My Aero space friend told me about it. He said its pretty much mechanical engineering accept it goes more into detail behind the theories behind the combustion engine...