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  #21  
Old 11-14-2019, 11:29 AM
Snoho3 Snoho3 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by rmartingt View Post
At least in my experience, it seems most brand-new AEs see MRO/in-service work as sort of beneath them--they're all about designing the next new shiny thing and changing the world or somesuch.

I moved into that world five years ago (it's been that long already?!) and now I don't think I'd ever want to go back to new product development.
This one hits close to home. As a newly minted engineer I walked into my first job at Douglas Aircraft (yes, I'm that old) and was taken under the wing of a grizzled old engineer who walked me around the factory on my first day. We ended up at the final assembly line of the DC-10 where he proceeded to very proudly show me a bracket that he had designed. It was obviously the culmination of the tour. This was an engineer who had probably a 30 year career at that point. His biggest achievement? A bracket. I have no idea what his tenure at Douglas was really like and what challenges he might have had, but from that tour I did know on my first day that I was not going to be him in 30 years. Couldn't have asked for a better or more impactful intro to life at a big company. I remain very grateful for his brief mentorship, but even more grateful for that first eye-opening tour.

An engineering degree opens a lot of doors. Best of luck to your son.
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  #22  
Old 11-14-2019, 02:21 PM
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wcalvert wcalvert is offline
 
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Default Gone flying...

My experience is very similar to the previous post except it happened through a good friend of mine one year ahead of me in school.

He had the dream job with the Govt division of Motorola, got it made! Good pay, benefits, set for life. Then I heard about the shelf he spent the last year designing! A shelf. In a dark office in the bowels of the ship.

I know engineers get to do lots of different jobs, and a shelf can be just as important as a weapon guidance system. But with lots of engineers each job gets parsed into lots of smaller tasks... These days there aren't too many "big picture" engineers out there who get to do the fun design part.

After hearing the story from my friend, I headed over to the Navy recruiter's office and signed up for AOCS after graduating and then off to flight school.

11 years in the Nav flying tac air and now with a major, never looked back!

Remind your son to keep his head up and his eyes open, he has skills that are in demand all over.

Best of luck!
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  #23  
Old 11-14-2019, 02:36 PM
rocketman1988 rocketman1988 is offline
 
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Default ...and

I had a plant trip/CJO to one of the big GA companies in Wichita...

One of the interview questions was, "Where do you see yourself in this company?"

I answered, "Conceptual Design".

The interviewer, who later became the CEO, LAUGHED at me. He said that I might make it there after about 30 years with the company...and they wonder why the GA designs haven't changed in 50+ years...

Summary of another experience with a structures group at a big company that's starts with a B. They said, "Every engineer knows his nut or bolt", meaning that is about all you get to see of a project. Kind of like the guy designing the shelf...
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  #24  
Old 11-14-2019, 04:07 PM
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plehrke plehrke is offline
 
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Originally Posted by rocketman1988 View Post
I would have been MUCH better off to be a Mechanical Engineer with a specialization in Spacecraft, than an Aerospace Engineer; the ME degree opens more doors than the specialized AeroE degree.
You think so?
In my experience an aero engineering degree is considered same as a ME degree and some instances it is viewed higher tech therefore more desirable. I have never thought or heard it limited the opportunities.
My company hires aero engineers to do everything thing from ME, to EE, to computers, to basic physics research.
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  #25  
Old 11-14-2019, 04:20 PM
McStevens McStevens is offline
 
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Originally Posted by plehrke View Post
You think so?
In my experience an aero engineering degree is considered same as a ME degree and some instances it is viewed higher tech therefore more desirable. I have never thought or heard it limited the opportunities.
My company hires aero engineers to do everything thing from ME, to EE, to computers, to basic physics research.
Same, ME and AE are basically the same as far as the OEM aircraft assembler in my area and its suppliers are concerned.
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  #26  
Old 11-14-2019, 04:22 PM
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plehrke plehrke is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rocketman1988 View Post
I had a plant trip/CJO to one of the big GA companies in Wichita...

One of the interview questions was, "Where do you see yourself in this company?"

I answered, "Conceptual Design".

The interviewer, who later became the CEO, LAUGHED at me. He said that I might make it there after about 30 years with the company...and they wonder why the GA designs haven't changed in 50+ years...

Summary of another experience with a structures group at a big company that's starts with a B. They said, "Every engineer knows his nut or bolt", meaning that is about all you get to see of a project. Kind of like the guy designing the shelf...
Hired into my company 35 years ago directly into ?conceptual design?. I was one of the first new hires at the company to go directly to adv design. Been there ever since. I have been lucky and now have several planes that start with an X that I designed that are hanging in museums.
We (big company that starts with a letter early in the alphabet) now specifically put young engineers directly into adv design since they have great ideas not been tainted by 30 years of Working the details.
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  #27  
Old 11-14-2019, 04:29 PM
rocketman1988 rocketman1988 is offline
 
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Default Yes, I do...

Yes, I think, based on my experience, the ME degree is desirable to a larger market of businesses...

When the space industry imploded after Challenger, I sent letters to many companies outside of the aero industry. Where many of my ME friends were getting jobs with mainstream companies my aerospace friends and I were not.

I realize that this was a snapshot in a devastated market but that should not have affected hiring in non aero companies...

Just relating my personal experiences, and for me, it actually worked out for the best. I love my job and it gives me the opportunity to afford and have time for my numerous hobbies...although this -10 build has kind of stagnated my other hobbies...
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  #28  
Old 11-14-2019, 05:07 PM
KatanaPilot KatanaPilot is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rocketman1988 View Post
Yes, I think, based on my experience, the ME degree is desirable to a larger market of businesses...

When the space industry imploded after Challenger, I sent letters to many companies outside of the aero industry. Where many of my ME friends were getting jobs with mainstream companies my aerospace friends and I were not.

I realize that this was a snapshot in a devastated market but that should not have affected hiring in non aero companies...

Just relating my personal experiences, and for me, it actually worked out for the best. I love my job and it gives me the opportunity to afford and have time for my numerous hobbies...although this -10 build has kind of stagnated my other hobbies...
Agree totally and it is the same advice I have given recently to aspiring AE's. If I had to do it over, I would have done ME. EE was too much math
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  #29  
Old 11-14-2019, 05:53 PM
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Ironflight Ironflight is offline
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Originally Posted by KatanaPilot View Post
Agree totally and it is the same advice I have given recently to aspiring AE's. If I had to do it over, I would have done ME. EE was too much math
It depends so much on what you define as ?engineering?. In the flight operations world, we had mostly degrees engineers, and it made no difference to us what the initial was along with the ?E? - we made everyone multidisciplinary in their first few years. No systems were pure - everything had mechanical, electrical, structural, and software aspects. You learned it all, or went home.

And yeah - it was a great life!

The degree gets you in the door - you sell yourself by what you can do. If you limit yourself by what type of engineering degree, you?re the only one holding you back....

Paul
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  #30  
Old 11-14-2019, 05:57 PM
rocketman1988 rocketman1988 is offline
 
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Default some times

"...The degree gets you in the door..."

Yeah, not always...hence the numerous posts above...
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