So tell me, have you ever wondered whether or not aerospace engineering is hard? Yes, it may be challenging, but that is not all that you may need to know. The field is a wide one, and there are a lot of factors involved that could determine whether or not you may end up finding it difficult or easy.
This is why this article is essential, as we will show you all you need to know about the basic concept of aerospace engineering, why it may look complex, the career path involved, and how you can pursue your dreams under it.
In the end, we shall have emphasized the answer to the question raised above by showing you in all sincerity how you can wade through the waters of this category of science and technology and come out stronger.
Essential Facts About Aerospace Engineering
The best way to demystify a thing is to find out what the item is all about. We shall explain this version of engineering to you simply for your understanding.
It is simply a branch of science that deals with how to make machines fly. It involves the design, development, and production of devices that would be able to fly for a particular period.
As a field of science, it has two divergent categories:
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Astronautical Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering – deals with the design, development, and production of machines that would be able to fly within the earth’s atmosphere, like airplanes, helicopters, military fighter jets, and so on.
Astronautical Engineering – deals with designing, developing, and producing machines that fly outside the earth’s atmosphere, like rockets and spacecraft.
As one of the modern fields of science dating back to the 19th century, it is remarkable to see how much growth and development it has experienced given time.
Various products have come and gone, and even better ones are being developed currently, thereby boosting their level of development.
Is Aerospace Engineering Hard?
Yes, Aerospace engineering is hard to some people; to others, it is challenging; and to others, it is pretty straightforward. Generally, it is a thorny branch of science. While this may depend on the intellectual capacity of whoever chooses it as a field of study, it is safe to assume that it is a rigid or stiff course of study.
The reason behind its difficulty is, firstly, based on the fact that it involves various aspects of technology to carry out the essential parts of this science branch: design, development, and production.
Secondly, one would have to have considerable and sound knowledge of physics, engineering, and technology, as everything you need in this branch of science revolves around this trio.
Because the products would be required to fly, there would be a huge need for calculations. In this vein, enthusiasts would have to have ample knowledge in advanced mathematics, calculus, linear algebra, geometry, statistics, and so on.
There is also a need to have good knowledge of technology as it would come in handy when you would need to design and sample the products.
To this end, you would be required to have good knowledge of computers and electronics. Unfortunately, basic computer skills would not be enough to cut it, as the skillset required is on the advanced level.
Electrical knowledge or knowledge of electronics would also come in handy in designing the aircraft or spacecraft; hence that would also be needed.
With this knowledge in the bag, you have to look forward to your academic classes, which would involve lots of semesters and at least 4-years of bachelor’s degree training.
In the University, you would be required to learn many things broadly categorized under aerodynamics, guidance and control, structures, thermal protection, flight dynamics, safety, materials, propulsion systems, avionics, and so on.
And even when you have successfully graduated, you must keep track and read up on new technological advancements in this area; as we stated above, the improvement is pretty fast.
How to Excel as an Aerospace Engineer
Irrespective of what you may have read above about whether or not aerospace engineering is complex, it can still be easy for you to excel under it.
Understand that there have been other courses and professions that people have viewed as the toughest nut to crack, yet a lot of practice and excel under them. Your case is not unique; hence, you tend to excel here too. You have to do certain things, which we shall be showing you below:
Understand that you are not the first person to feel this way. This works like a charm all the time; you have to understand that thousands of people have gone through the system and come out successfully. If they could do it, you, too, can do it.
Dedication. Your goal is to excel, so focus on it. Go all out to ensure that you see this through. Your dedication level should be higher than anything else.
Hard work. There is no telling that hard work would come in handy. From the areas we stated above, you can see that mastering such sites would require some high level of hard work. The absence of hard work breeds failure.
Maintain a positive mindset. Fear is the number one killer of motivation and optimism. It creates doubt, which leads to failure. You have to maintain a positive attitude from day one. Tell yourself that you can make it, that you can excel.
How To Become An Aerospace Engineer
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. This journey, however, requires more than taking that one step.
A sound aerospace engineer would be required to have been putting in the necessary efforts from the moment they know that this is their dream career path. It does not matter whether you are just a high school student; you do not need to be in college/university before you start going hard. You have to start on time.
At your high school or secondary school level, you can undertake some of the steps below:
1. Ace your subject
One big hoax people peddle around is that grades do not matter at the high or secondary school level. Do not be misguided by this lie.
Your rates would go a long to determine whether or not you could pursue the course of your dreams or not.
2. Work and Relax
Ensure that you make time to engage in other activities outside school or academics. These activities do not need to be science related also. You can comfortably choose a hobby that would be fun for you to engage in.
This would help to balance your social life, which can benefit your academics also. So while you may enjoy making things fly, ensure that you are having fun too.
3. Attend/engage in science-oriented activities
Many motivations can be found where you are in an environment that stimulates your academic awareness and exposes you to areas in which you want to specialize.
Make time to attend science and tech fairs; sign up for science and tech competitions. Go on trips to various remarkable science and technological establishments. These would help inspire you to become the best in whatever you want.
4. Think about college
Look out for reputable colleges in your state, country, or anywhere in the world and apply. A good school would go a long way to shape your mind and impact you with the required knowledge.
You would need access to state-of-the-art equipment and materials to help your research as a technical course. You would need good, seasoned teachers, infrastructure, and so on.
These are the key things you would have to look out for while applying to a university of your choice. We shall show you the best universities that handle these courses later.
While you are in the University, your work rate just doubled as you would be required to engage in many things. To be able to the main habit you have already cultivated from your high school days, which would eventually lead you to be a promising aerospace engineer, you can follow these steps, which we will enumerate below:
Be part of a like-minded society or organizations-In at the University, endeavour to be part of groups or organizations or societies whose aims and objectives are directed towards the advancement in knowledge of engineering generally, or particularly this branch of science.
This is important as an organization comprising various individuals would involve the continuous display of multiple ideas, which can help you perform well academically and in the long run.
5. Focus more on experience
Specialization is one of the essences of the University. Here, you will be taught everything you need about aerospace engineering. You would be led by everything from design to development and production.
These are essential knowledge that you would have to focus on as they would help you understand the concepts and, in the long run, practice the profession.
You would engage in experiments, tests, fieldwork, and so on. While your grades are essential, experience is much more critical this time, hence the need to focus on it more than anything else.
6. Taking up internship programs
The best way to get good at something is by having ample experience, and what better way of gaining such experience than through internship programs? An internship allows you to see firsthand what you are being taught in the classroom.
Many people are less reluctant to try out internship opportunities. Still, with time, you would come to appreciate that you took that extra step because, through it, you even experience what you may not have been taught in the classroom. Hence, it is essential.
7. Engage in research work
As we said earlier, technological advancements are so swift these days that you can hardly keep in touch with any of them. A new age of progress may have occurred in just one blink, and another is completely overridden.
It is owing to this that researching would come in handy. By ensuring that you are up-to-date with the technological advancements in this branch of technology, you can easily apply your research to what you are taught.
8. Apply for jobs as soon as possible
When you have successfully graduated, waste no time applying for jobs. You can even start when you are done with your exams if you are pretty confident about your grades.
This is because most companies would want to work with persons who have either experience or fresh graduates. The similarity between these categories is that they still have complete or ample knowledge of the field at their fingertips. We shall be looking at the career path available in this area shortly.
Best Universities Offering Aerospace Engineering
As we stated earlier, we shall be showing you the various universities globally that you can apply to for a degree or postgraduate degree in aerospace engineering.
These universities or colleges have been carefully picked as they thick all the right boxes relevant to your academic success, like good teaching staff, modern lab, equipment, and infrastructures.
These universities or colleges, in no particular order, include:
- Harvard University
- University of Cambridge
- Politecnico di Milano
- TU Delft, Netherlands
- Standford University, USA
- The University of California, Berkeley, USA
- MIT, USA
- University of Oxford, UK
- Princeton University, USA
- California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), USA
- National University of Singapore, Singapore.
- ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- Beijing Institute of Technology, China
- Georgia Tech, USA
- University of Michigan, Ann Abor, USA
- National University of Defense Technology, China
- Tsinghua University, China
- Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
These universities/colleges across America, Europe, and Asia offer you the best of the best college experiences while also offering you exquisite and top-of-the-shelf academic expertise.
Career Paths In Aerospace Engineering
The fundamental question one would always ask is, ‘what will I be doing as an engineer in this sector?’ ‘Are there available jobs…?’ These questions are valid.
If you would want to pursue a career in aerospace engineering, it is required that you know the right career path to take to achieve this dream.
Because of the limited options, there are not enough areas you can focus on. Broadly, you can only work in the Private sector or the government.
In the private sector, you can work as an office- or industry-based engineer. As an office-based engineer, you can design prototypes of airplanes, spacecraft, etc., or make modifications to already made designs.
As an industry-based engineer, you can supervise and carry out aircraft production, plus maintenance of faulty airplanes, spacecraft, etc. The presentations are based on the designs of office-based engineers.
Also, you can end up working for the government. You can also work as an office or an industry-based engineer here. You can design aircraft, military airplanes, and fighter jets as an office-based engineer. You can also make modifications to already made designs.
On the other hand, as an industry-based engineer, you can supervise or aid in developing designs made by office-based engineers, fighter jets, military aeroplanes, and other aircraft or spacecraft required by the government.
Engineers in this field end up working for the government through its agencies like NASA, FAA, or other airspace agencies under the control of the government. They can also work in private airlines as plane engineers or factories as developers of airplanes, as the case may be.
How Much Do Aerospace Engineers Earn?
After considering the right career path, one would wonder how much these guys earn in their line of work. This is entirely normal. Who would want to go through all this stress for nothing, right? So, it is customary to inquire or at least show curiosity as to how much people earn in this field.
The entry-level salary of an aerospace engineer is $68,000.00, which could also include bonuses depending on the contractual arrangement with the employer.
For specific jobs such as compliance officer, you could earn up to $67,000.00; for a military aerospace engineer, you could earn up to $74,000.00; and for an aircraft designer, you could earn up $98,000.00.
That is a pretty cool income if you ask me. And this justifies all the sweat and hard work one would put in to get to this position.
Conclusion
Thank you for going through this article on aerospace engineering hard. We hope you got the answers you were looking for.
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