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Aerospace Engineers Career Video

Insider Info

In the fall of 2012 the world watched as Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian daredevil, plunged from the edge of space and skydived to Earth. Starting at nearly 40 km above the Earth's surface, it was the highest-ever skydive. It was also the first time a human had broken the sound barrier outside of an aircraft or vehicle.

Scores of aerospace engineers made Baumgartner's amazing feat possible. One of them was Shane Jacobs, with the David Clark Company. He led a team of aerospace engineers that worked on designing the special suit Baumgartner wore during his historic leap.

"The uniqueness about it was having to design a suit that you can skydive in, because that's not something that normally you'd do," says Jacobs. "We have been lucky the past few years [to] have been working on projects for NASA and the U.S. Air Force that have had all sorts of really unique requirements that required us to come up with all sorts of new, novel and different designs."

Like many aerospace engineers, Jacobs is involved in creating the technology that helps put humankind and machines into space. Aerospace engineers are also involved in the analysis, design and operation of aircraft and equipment within the Earth's atmosphere. For this reason, the terms aerospace and aeronautics are often interchangeable.

Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in commercial aviation, defense systems and space exploration. They often specialize in structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods.

They may also specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial transports, helicopters, spacecraft or rockets.

Aerospace engineers may be experts in aerodynamics, propulsion, thermodynamics, structures, celestial mechanics, acoustics or guidance and control systems. Companies often combine teams of engineers from other disciplines whose expertise can best match a given project.

"It's nice that most of the people you deal with are smart, hard driving, passionate people that are passionate about space and they really want to advance the field," says Jacobs. "You do kind of have to have that desire and that passion to get into the field, and it definitely does take a lot of hard work."

Most aerospace engineers work a standard 40-hour week. Deadlines and design standards may bring extra pressure to a job. When this happens, engineers may work long hours and experience considerable stress.

Since the aerospace industry is subject to intense international competition, engineers need to continuously update their skills. To be successful, they must be motivated, highly skilled professionals.

"I would suggest anyone interested in the aerospace industry to definitely gain some experience during college through co-ops or internships," says Wendy Toelle. She's a recruiter for UTC Aerospace Systems through Kenexa. "When hiring candidates right out of college, hiring managers want to see they have taken the initiative to gain some experience."

Just the Facts

Want a quick overview of what this career is about?Check out Just the Facts for simple lists of characteristics.

At a Glance

Do all kinds of engineering work for aircraft, missiles and spacecraft

  • Most aerospace engineers have a four-year bachelor's degree in engineering; some also have a master's degree or PhD
  • Some schools offer aerospace as a subspecialty within mechanical, industrial or systems engineering programs
  • Physics, electronics and computers are helpful subjects to know

Contact

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  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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