Student Inquiries
Copyright, Frederick L. Shope, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
These web page files and the information contained herein may not be copied without permission.
As a result of this web site, I have received several inquiries from college and pre-college students asking for information about becoming an engineer or an aerospace engineer in particular. Below I have summarized some of my answers to their specific questions.
I would encourage all students to give some thought to becoming an engineer. Government and industry are constantly seeking additional engineers and most industries seem to think there are not enough engineers to meet the demand.
As of this update (Fall 2007), the aerospace industry seems to be in a bit of a panic regarding finding enough engineers (and aerospace engineers in particular) to fill their needs. A large fraction of the experienced engineers is said to be nearing retirement age and will disappear from the industry over the next few years. At the same time, few students seem to be entering the field. The situation is not entirely surprising. The industry and government have not always treated their engineering and craft resources with the respect their capabilities deserve. Capricious hiring and firing of technical personnel as a result of seemingly random fluctuations of government funding and focus have not enhanced the image of a career in the aerospace business. Further, the United States has not pursued many exciting new endeavors in aeronautics or space since the Apollo moon landings. Many of my colleagues largely expect China to be the first to land on Mars, which is probably the next milestone in space after a fully functional, permanent space station in earth orbit is established. But the future of the present space station is clouded, and its abandonment is already scheduled. The shuttle is to be decommissioned in a few years. NASA has plans to return to the moon, but the funding is uncertain. Mars seems a long, long way off for the United States. This less than cheery state of affairs in space is reversible, nonetheless. The entrance into the field of enough innovative, enthusiastic, and well-trained students would be a start. With many engineers retiring, there will be many opportunities for new people.
A career in engineering can be tremendously exciting and rewarding for the right type of person. If you are considering a career in engineering, consider whether the following activities seem like fun or work:
Student Questions
You must understand that answers to these types of questions necessarily involve personal opinion and are, of course, strongly influenced by my own experiences. I am involved in analysis and computer modeling, and my answers will necessarily reflect that particular bent. Other engineers would give different opinions and might object, perhaps strongly, to some of my comments.
You also need to realize that most engineering companies must compete for business. Detailed information about a company is not often freely distributed because the company must protect its best ideas. Accordingly, I have avoided answering the questions below to that level of detail.
WHAT TYPE OF COURSE WORK IS NEEDED FOR AN ENGINEERING BACHELORS DEGREE?
math: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, differential equations, probability theory
science: chemistry, physics, biology
general engineering: statics, dynamics, strength of materials, engineering drawing, design, thermodynamics, heat transfer, electrical engineering, computer programming, technical writing
aerospace engineering: fluid mechanics, aircraft structures, stability and control, aeroelasticity, jet and rocket propulsion, senior design project
humanities: literature, music, composition, anthropology, psychology, sociology, speech
other: physical education
CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASSES REQUIRED TO RECEIVE A
MASTERS DEGREE?
Course work for a masters degree (that is, beyond the bachelors degree) includes advanced mathematics (advanced calculus, probability theory, statistics, complex variables, partial differential equations, asymptotic expansions) and engineering (turbulent flow, meteorology, advanced fluid mechanics, compressible flow, turbomachinery, heat transfer). These courses are very specific to the individual student and each student may take a completely different set of courses. A Master of Science degree usually requires writing a Masters thesis, which is the result of original research. A Master of Engineering usually does not require a thesis but often does require some larger project beyond the course work.
Caveat: My college experience is ancient history. Check the on-line course catalogs for more current information.
CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A TYPICAL DAY?
My day begins with a 40 mile ride with a van pool, which arrives on site at about sun-up. I start by booting up my computer, checking my incoming email, and taking care of any needed replies. If I am working on an engineering problem, I will start up all of the software I need for the work. This usually means a fortran compiler, a code editor, a computer graphics package, maybe a spreadsheet and word processor. I frequently use both a PC and a unix work station. While I am working, I keep a running written log on the computer of everything I do. In problem solving, I usually start out by writing down exactly what the customer needs, when he needs it, and how much he can afford to spend. I usually lay out a plan of how I will accomplish the objective, but I often do not follow the plan. I begin by making rough sketches on paper of the device I am developing. I will probably do a lot of geometry calculations. Next, I will probably develop a set of mathematical equations that model the device or perhaps model the flow of a gas through the device. I will then work out a way to solve the equations (that is, an "algorithm"). Next, I will write a computer program to solve the equations. The computer program must then be debugged to verify that it is giving correct results. This is done by applying the program to a similar problem for which the answer is already known. Sometimes, the program's results are compared to experimental data to "prove" it is correct. (Comparing to one set of data doesn't actually "prove" the program is correct - it might only work for that one case - but it's the best we can do short of solving all possible problems in the universe!) Finally, I will use the new program to solve the problem I started out with. Often, this is an iterative (repetitive) process until a suitable solution is obtained. The work is completed by writing a memo to document what was done. Sometimes a briefing is prepared and presented to a room full of people for whom the work is being done. Frequently, colleagues will stop by my office to consult on their own technical problems, or I will discuss my problem with other engineers and seek their advice and ideas. Sometimes, we call meetings in a conference room to discuss progress or deal with obstacles. My day is usually broken up with numerous cups of tea and a 1/2 hour lunch break during which I listen to a CD (today was Saint-Saens violin concerto no. 3), and finishes with the 40 mile ride home. Often, solving an engineering problem takes days or weeks or months. Frequently, I choose to continue working on my home computer at night or on weekends. I wouldn't do that if it weren't fun. At home, I frequently listen to classical music while working (they say Mozart promotes analytical thinking). I am usually in bed seven hours before I must get up and do it all again.
Note that not all engineers spend their days twiddling with computers and math. Many are directly involved with hardware, instrumentation, and machinery.
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF BEING AN ENGINEER?
Certainly,
completing a 4-year engineering degree requires very long hours with little or no free time except between term breaks. You really must enjoy problem solving and mathematics, and be willing to struggle with a problem late into the night until you understand it. For many of us, it is difficult to solve engineering problems when there are so many interruptions to deal with seemingly peripheral activities. The peripheral activities are not necessarily unimportant, and a few are more important than your primary job. For example, your first obligation, to yourself and those at home who care about you, is to get through the day safely and return home safely at the end of the day. Solving a difficult technical problem may require long term concentration, and that is hard to come by sometimes. You learn to live with it.
WHAT KIND OF BENEFITS DO AEROSPACE ENGINEERS GET?
An engineer employed by a company is paid by salary, meaning she gets a fixed amount of money per week or month regardless of how much time she actually spends on the job. She would like to work a 40-hour week and go home on nights and weekends. But when on salary, the engineer is expected to complete the job and put in any necessary overtime (without additional pay) to complete a job on time and within budget. The amount of unpaid overtime varies a lot depending on the kind of organization the engineer works for. Government organizations often don't demand a lot of overtime while private companies frequently do. An engineer who works for herself or owns her own company probably makes the most money, but the risks are correspondingly higher.
Like other salaried company employees, engineers sometimes have pension plans and often 401K plans for their retirement years. Companies usually provide group health care plans and insurance at (relatively) good rates. Companies will often help employees obtain college and graduate degrees by paying tuition or giving paid time off for class attendance. Many companies offer on-site training, through invited lectures or computer courses. Some companies sponsor social events such as picnics and holiday parties.
Engineers usually get paid vacation and sick leave, usually several weeks a year. Most get the usual paid holidays off.
CAN YOU GET PROMOTED? IF SO WHERE TO DO YOU START AND WHERE CAN YOU GO?
A new engineer will frequently get promoted several times in his first few years with a company, but the longer he stays the longer between promotions.
An engineer who is willing to move and change jobs frequently can increase his pay more quickly than one who remains with a single
company. However, changing jobs often may mean he will not accumulate a much of a pension for retirement, although there are so called "portable pensions" (e.g., 401K plans) an engineer can take with him when he changes jobs.
For an engineer who wishes to settle down at one place for a 30 year career and remain immersed in technical details, I would offer the following suggestions:
WHAT KIND OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS THERE IN THE STANDARD WORK PLACE?
I have encountered three organizational structures in aerospace engineering companies. One is a simple military-style organization where perhaps ten persons, some of whom may be engineers, report to an immediate supervisor. The supervisor, along with nine or ten other supervisors, reports to a supervisor above him. Depending on the size of the company, this pyramid can go on for several more layers
of management until you get to the company's general manager.
A second type of organizational structure, which is more modern, is where the workers are organized in teams. The teams are empowered by
management to make all important engineering decisions.
A third type of structure is referred to as matrix management. In addition to a military type structure where people are grouped according to the type of work they do, a person may also be assigned to a project group that reports to a project engineer. The term "matrix" refers to vertical lines of organization and horizontal lines in the project group (which cut across organizational lines), to form a sort of matrix-like picture.
Engineers are usually part of organizations that include not only other engineers, but also craftsmen, technicians, administrative and technical assistants, and managers.
HOW RIGOROUS AND CHALLENGING WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR OCCUPATION TO BE?
As math modeler, I find aerospace engineering to be indeed very rigorous and challenging. Developing physical models is a constant conflict between efficiency and accuracy. With infinite time, you can usually get it right. If accuracy isn't important, you can usually do it quickly. Of course, both efficiency and accuracy are important, though accuracy must take precedence because safety may be jeopardized otherwise. An experimentalist (which I am not) would give a different answer.
On a more mundane level, I usually work a 40 hour week and get paid for a 40 hour week. I have spent a lot of unpaid weekends struggling with some problem, just because it was fun or because the stakes were high. I am not usually under pressure from my employer to do this, but that is because I work at a government laboratory. Engineers who work for commercial companies often routinely put in much more than 40 hours. Perhaps they make more money. The trade-off choice is your outside life versus more money.
Most engineers are under pressure to continue learning and to stay current in their field. In most aerospace engineering organizations, almost everybody has a Masters degree (many have PhDs). A few of us (very few indeed) are Registered Engineers with the State, which requires passing two 8-hour exams and an oral interview. In some states, it is illegal to call oneself an "engineer" without being registered. Continuing education is critical. Some companies require various forms of continuing education, including graduate courses, attending technical seminars, participating in technical societies, publishing, etc. Continuing education often is necessary to remain in your pay grade or to maintain registration.
Most complex organizations conduct the business side of their operation by processing forms, and almost everyone gets drawn into it. When you are struggling to solve some messy nonlinear partial differential equation, this organizational churning can seem irrelevant. But
it's not really, because if you won't or can't participate, projects may not get funded, or they might overrun the budget, or you might make a customer unhappy and jeopardize future business. Some organizations are really close to the once-mythical paperless office, but participating requires constantly learning and using new software, which frequently doesn't work very well. It is a significant source of both frustration and pressure. It's a challenge to do what you must with this sort of stuff and still get the PDE solved.
WHAT IS THE TYPE OF WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER WOULD WORK IN?
I will describe a typical engineer's office. This description applies to many different installations that I have visited. Her office is one cubicle of several in a large room. The cubicle walls are moveable partitions that are perhaps five feet high. She has a steel desk with a hard rubber top. The desk was probably manufactured before Sputnik. If she is lucky, she has a good chair and a window. She probably has one or two file cabinets, perhaps a table. The file cabinets will probably predate World War II. The floor may be carpeted. Her office may have a white board, and the board will be covered with engineering sketches, lists of stuff to do, wise cracks (actual example: "It is difficult to soar with eagles when you work for turkeys"), and equations. There will be at least one Dilbert cartoon taped up somewhere (one favorite has the caption: As you gain experience, you will come to realize that logical questions are considered insubordination). She will have pictures of her family, her boat, or other items of special interest in her outside life. She may display various awards she has received over the years or pictures of projects she worked on. She may have various curious pieces of hardware lying around that are souvenirs from projects she worked on. She will have shelves that are stuffed with text books and technical reports. Her desk will be hidden under stacks of papers and unread technical journals, some of which include original printings of articles by Kepler, Galileo, and Newton. She will have a coffee cup that was last washed -- well, it has probably never been washed. She will have a PC (never a Mac, for some reason) all to herself, and it is probably a relatively new machine but has Microsoft Office software. She will have email, access to the Internet, and access to a LAN. The LAN will be down. If she is involved in complex numerical computations, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), she will have her own unix workstation, perhaps from Silicon Graphics or Sun. If she is CFD specialist, the screen will be full of computer graphics and listings of Fortran code (occasionally C, but we computists have a saying: "Fortran is for real men; C is for unix."). She will also have access to large, expensive multiprocessor computers located remotely from her office. There will be high speed laser color printer in the next cubicle; it will have a paper jam. The cubicle is crowded. There will be room for her to sit and maybe for one or two visitors. And she wouldn't trade if for a room full of mahogany (until she saw the pay raise that went with it).
DO YOU HAVE ANY UNUSUAL REQUESTS FROM A CLIENT THAT WAS OUT OF THE NORM TO ACCOMPLISH?
Customers sometimes ask you to design things that would violate the laws of physics. In that case, the engineer must find a way to give them something suitable but necessarily less than they hoped for. You must also help them understand why their request cannot be met. Sometimes customers ask for things that, while possible, may be impractical because of the cost or time to accomplish the goal. In that case again, the engineer must find a suitable alternative. As Mr. Spock on Star Trek once said, "there are always possibilities."
A recent example of this sort of thing was the effort to design a single-stage-to-orbit satellite launcher. The goal is to build a rocket that can fly all the way from the earth's surface to earth orbit without dropping stages along the way, as is necessary for all existing satellite launchers. Routine and cheap access to space requires a simple rocket with no throw away components that you can jump into like an automobile and just fly to orbit whenever the mood strikes you. Think Buck Rogers (Rocky Jones Space Ranger? Commando Cody? OK, Luke Skywalker!). NASA has tried at least twice to achieve this goal with vehicles referred to as the X-30 and the X-33. Neither were ever flown or built because it turns out they needed to be built out of a material jokingly referred to as "unobtainium." Materials were required that were stronger and lighter than anything known to exist; or, alternately, fuels of higher energy density (more watts per kilogram of fuel) were needed than were available from chemical propulsion. A fission rocket might do it. Certainly warp drive would suffice, if anyone knew how to go build a warp drive. This is a challenge for the future. Perhaps you will be the one to figure out how to do it, the next Robert Goddard or Wernher von Braun.
HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE A CAREER IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AS OPPOSED TO OTHER CAREERS IN TERMS OF SALARIES AND JOB SATISFACTION?
In terms of salary, aerospace engineers working for a company (not self employed) on average earn less than doctors and lawyers but more than accountants, high school or college teachers, and store owners, and are roughly equivalent to scientists. In general engineers make more than craftsmen and technicians.
In terms of job satisfaction, I believe it is possible to derive great satisfaction from almost any job simply by doing it well and striving to be the best at doing it.
What about the type of technical work an engineer does compared to, say, a physicist or mathematician? I would say that an engineer is primarily interested in manipulating matter to achieve some practical goal, such as developing a vehicle that can fly. To be successful, the engineer must make decisions based on the physical laws that govern the behavior of matter, which is to say, conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, and the second law of thermodynamics. A physicist, on the other hand, is more interested in understanding the behavior of matter and discovering the physical laws that appear to control its behavior. A mathematician is less concerned with discovering laws of nature than in establishing whether the mathematical statement of the laws have solutions, whether the solutions are unique, and how one may efficiently and accurately solve the equations. Sometimes a mathematician's job is done when he can show that a "new" problem reduces to a known solution, in which case he may leave the actual solution to someone else. Clearly, successful engineering requires all of these types of people, and most engineering organizations employ all three. For another view of engineers, physicists, and mathematicians, read the following joke, which was obviously told by an engineer.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER FIELDS OF EMPLOYMENT THAT OPEN UP, WHEN YOU CONSIDER BECOMING AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER?
Many engineers eventually become managers, where they direct the work of others. Some become Chief Executive Officers (the top of a company). Some choose to enter the military, where they usually enter as an Officer and become a manager or pilot. Many of the shuttle astronauts are pilot/engineers. There are also many engineering jobs outside of North America, particularly in Japan and the Middle East, where engineers from the Americas are much sought after and well paid. If an engineer earns a PhD, she can teach in a university and do fundamental research.
A few engineers move into technical management. Such work involves being in charge of sizeable technical projects. The technical manager must accomplish the following types of tasks:
DO YOU ENJOY YOUR WORK?
Absolutely! I find few activities more satisfying than developing a mathematical model of some physical process and later having it
validated with experimental data (not all engineers are immersed in math, of course). I enjoy writing and presenting technical papers at
AIAA conferences. If you have not been introduced to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), please look over the web site at www.aiaa.org. AIAA is the professional technical society of aerospace engineers. You can join cheaply as student.
Like any profession, however, there are many duties and situations that aren't much fun. I don't particularly enjoy management duties or being responsible for other people's work, however necessary it may be.
On the whole, there is enough fun to make it all worthwhile.
IS THERE A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AND IF THERE IS, WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME ONE?
I will assume this question refers to formal registation of engineers. Engineering registration is handled by the individual state governments. With registration, the State confers on an engineer an official recognition of his level of technical competence. It it not necessary for an engineer to be registered in order to practice engineering, but, if not registered, it is illegal to refer to himself publicly as an "Engineer". If a specific engineering design has the potential to directly affect the public safety, then the final design must be approved by a registered engineer. The actual design work need not be accomplished by registered engineers as long as the work is accomplished under the direction of a registered engineer. To become registered, an engineer must have either a college degree in engineering or the equivalent experience. He must pass an 8-hour exam on the fundamentals of engineering and a second exam on the more advanced technical aspects of the profession. Both exams are highly technical (not "soft" subjective material but actual computation of physical problems). These exams are fairly difficult and a significant fraction of candidates fails the exams.
To answer the question more directly, the State gives exams in several branches of engineering. Some states offer registration in mechanical, aerospace, and other branches of engineering. Once registration is achieved, a certificate is awarded but (in my state, at least) the certificate does not specifically recognize the branch of engineering for which the exam was taken. However, an engineer is limited by law to practice only in areas where he is technically competent.
To maintain his registration, the engineer must pay an annual fee (a few hundred dollars per year) and engage in formal continuing education related to his technical area. The education can be formal course work, short courses, technical symposiums, or other educational activities.
An engineer who has achieved registration is often referred to as a "Professional Engineer" and will frequently indicate this by placing a "P.E." after his name. Many PEs choose to join the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
WHAT ARE THE SPECIALIZED INSTRUMENTS THAT AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER USES?
Aerospace engineers use a large variety of instruments and tools in their work. I can only give you a sampling of these since the list would depend very much on the type of problems the engineer specializes in. Let me give it a shot:
HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU MAKE?
I'm not going to tell you how much money I make! Let's just say there aren't enough zeroes for both Bill Gates and me (that's because he has them all).
Let me say this: though I am not much involved in hiring activities, I believe a newly graduated aerospace engineer can expect to make between $50,000 and $60,000. Over her career, if she remains primarily engaged in technical work, she might expect her salary to increase by a factor of three to five over 30 years, though some of the pay increase is cancelled by inflation. Engineering managers may make much more if they rise to near the top of the organization. A U.S. Government web site that appears to have interesting information on aerospace engineers and their pay is located at
stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos028.htm.
WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS FIELD?
When I was a kid, I developed an intense interest in -- almost an obsession with -- space travel and rockets. I think it started with
Saturday morning TV shows and the Science Fiction Book Club. Soon, I started building and flying rockets, mostly with commercially made
rocket engines. I never got into pouring propellant because I knew of too many gruesome cases where kids maimed themselves in rocket
accidents. It was the time of Sputnik. Eventually, I built and flew several hundred rockets. One cracked the sound barrier. It was this
interest in rockets that led me directly to aerospace engineering as a profession.