AEROSPACE ENGINEERBy Joshua Reddick

Nature Of Work

Direct and coordinate the design, manufacture, and testing of aircraft and aerospace products

Assess proposals for projects to determine if they are technically and financially feasible

Determine if proposed projects will result in safe aircraft and parts

Evaluate designs to see that the products meet engineering principles, customer requirements, and environmental challenges

Develop acceptance criteria for design methods, quality standards, sustainment after delivery, and completion dates

Ensure that projects meet quality standards Inspect malfunctioning or damaged products to identify

sources of problems and possible solutions

Training or Education Entry-level aerospace engineers usually need a bachelor's degree. High

school students interested in studying aerospace engineering should take courses in chemistry, physics, and math, including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.

Bachelor’s degree programs include classroom, laboratory, and field studies in subjects such as general engineering principles, propulsion, stability and control, structures, mechanics, and aerodynamics, which is the study of how air interacts with moving objects.

Analytical skills. Aerospace engineers must be able to identify design elements that may not meet requirements and then must formulate alternatives to improve their performance.

Business skills. Much of the work done by aerospace engineers involves meeting federal government standards. Meeting these standards often requires knowledge of standard business practices, as well as knowledge of commercial law.

Critical-thinking skills. Aerospace engineers must be able to translate a set of issues into requirements and to figure out why a particular design does not work. They must be able to ask the right question, then find an acceptable answer.

Math skills. Aerospace engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.

Writing skills. Aerospace engineers must be able to write papers that explain their designs clearly and create documentation for futur

Employment

Aerospace engineers held about 83,000 jobs in 2012. They are employed in industries where workers design or build aircraft, missiles, systems for national defense, or spacecraft. Aerospace engineers work primarily for firms that engage in analysis and design, manufacturing, research and development, and for the federal government.

Aerospace engineers now spend more of their time in an office environment than they have in the past, because modern aircraft design requires the use of sophisticated computer equipment and software design tools, modeling, and simulations for tests, evaluation, and training.

Earnings or wages

The median annual wage for aerospace engineers was $103,720 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half of the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $65,450, and the top 10 percent earned more than $149,120.

Aerospace Engineers $103,720 annual average pay

Job Outlook

Employment of aerospace engineers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2012 to 2022 slower than the average for all occupations. Some aerospace engineers work on projects that are related to national defense and thus require security clearances. This requirement will help to keep jobs in the United States. In addition, aircraft are being redesigned to cut down on noise pollution and to raise fuel efficiency, which will help spur demand for research and development. However, growth will be tempered because many of these engineers are employed in manufacturing industries that are projected to grow slowly or even decline.

Most of the work of aerospace engineers involves national defense–related projects or the design of civilian aircraft. Research and development projects, such as those related to improving the safety, efficiency, and environmental soundness of aircraft, should create demand for workers in this occupation.