Is Aerospace Engineering a good career?
I have heard that it is slow right now. When do you think it will pick up? I would love to work for boeing someday after college in about 5-7 years (depends on if I get my masters right away). Will it be more stable and a better career in about 5 years?
What is the future of aerospace engineering in 30 years?
Honestly, the future looks depressing. Like many areas of technology, aerospace has entered a capitalism induced period of stagnation. Profit margins are optimal, and required effort/investment is minimal. There hasn’t been much new work done since the 80’s. The F-22 and F-35 could have been built in the early 90’s; the F-22’s design was actually finalized in the late 80’s. Aside from large prestige aircraft like the A380 and the Dreamliner, airlines are pushing the development of more profitable mid-sized aircraft like the 737. They want more efficient jet engines, better composite structures that weigh less and can be built more reliably by subcontractors with poor quality control: But basically they just want ways to do the same thing they’re doing now with lower overhead expenses. They’ll still charge the same or more for tickets of course, capitalism requires them to constantly increase increase profits. The only really interesting work being done on the civilian side is the quest for more efficient jet engines, or all-electric planes. NASA was working on propfan engines early in this century, but they hit a wall when they couldn’t figure out how to make them as “quiet” as extant jet technology. It’s a cruel figurative irony that the most efficient type of jet engines are also the loudest. They are horrifyingly loud.The military side of development is mostly being focused on better stealth technology (that will become obsolete the moment someone deploys a long-wave radar system) and better flying death bots (drones) that can murder civilians more efficiently. The last really interesting development in military aerospace was supercruise (supersonic flight without using the afterburner) capability.As far as space technology, the amount of money being spent world wide on it couldn’t arm a third world military. The idea that anyone, even China with their creative approach to health and safety, will land on Mars before 2050 is laughable. We’d honestly be lucky to get there in this century given the direction world politics and the climate are headed. That fact that we’ve reverted to using capsules rather than further developing space planes is an indication of the sorry state of space technology. The few corporations pouring money into their own programs (SpaceX, BlueOrigin, Virgin Galactic) lack the financial and political resources to get beyond Earth orbit.
Aerospace Engineering - Career Advice!?
You seem to be thinking that if you fail to get into NASA, you'll have no choice but to fall back on a completely different career. This is false. There are lots of other places that would hire someone with an aerospace engineering degree, many of them space-related. If engineering is what you want to do, get an engineering degree, not a nursing degree. Also, getting into NASA is not as hard as people think. It's not as though they hire only the top 1% of engineering students with IQ over 130. Far from it! Additionally, you don't need a PhD, either. A bachelor's or master's degree is just fine, though the pay is a bit less. One piece of advice - if you get an engineering degree, make sure to get some 'real-world' experience by participating in a student project team. It makes your resume look a lot better.
I'm an aerospace engineer, I hate it, but I love science. Can I go to astrophysics?
Third year in aerospace engineering. I love science with a passion. I love theory, and I love how discovering the world works. My original plan was to major in Astrophysics at OSU but I went to the aero program because it makes more money. I always wanted to research space for NASA. My dad also laughed at me for astronomy and told me to be an engineer like him. I soon started hating myself because I was doing something for the same reason he was(material wealth, status), and not because I loved it. Went into the aero program and did well in it, but now that I'm in my third year, it's dawning on me what work I have to do. Engineering for me just so pragmatic, so linear, so "design" orientated, and I absolutely hated it. I looked back into what classes I loved and they were physics, and it coincidentally happened. My physics courses were divided into two. First half of each were kinematics and E and M, and second half were relativity and quantum and I loved it. I just got the conceptual theory behind it so fast, especially with relativity, and that boosted my grades in those classes by a high amount and I ended up getting decent grades. Everyday I wake up and I hate going to class. Not for the fact that the classes and sciences are bad, but I know I'm going to hate my job. I looked into the astrophysics program at OSU and for the first time in a long time, I got excited by learning again. Their undergraduate research seemed really cool, and ranged from the Big Bang to black holes. Basically I love science, and I love learning theory. I can't take engineering, and a design project or really any of that. My mind was always designed for theory, but I'm scared. I'm out of state to OSU, and people tell me I won't get a job, or it'll elongate my time at college. But everyday, it's becoming more miserable. Should I switch? I'm in aerospace engineering, and I really don't want to work as an engineer. Is it possible to go to grad school and learn physics/astrophysics? I really do want to research in space, but anything with like quantum mechanics or relativity is something I want to do. My GPA is pretty good, and it's competitive for grad school, but would the switch be easy?
What will jet engines look like in the future say 10 years from now?
There could be disruptive technologies which could totally uproot the jet engine.But, failing that, the road-map of jet engine development for civil projects is very clear:Use of ceramics in the hot sectionGeared fansUltra-High Bypass RatiosUltra-Ultra-Ultra High ThrustVariable-Pitch fansPropfans, maybeAs you can see, none of these will significantly alter the shape of the jet engine as you know it today, except, perhaps, the propfan.▲Safran’s propfan or “Open-Rotor Engine”, run in October 2017. Vive la France!Note that Pratt and Whitney has been minting money hand-over-fist on the PT6 engine even today, a design that has not changed since 1960!▲The airlines are gone or merged; the PT6 soldiers on!
Are there good Aerospace engineering opportunities in Japan for an outsider?
You are probably right about asking your question here, but my answer ( for what it's worth ) is a less negative one. People usually think of say NASA, ESA and JAXA as individual agencies with no outside input, but in reality it's the opposite. Engineers of various nationalities co work with others in this industry, be it Japanese, American or European. I agree that language can be a problem but it's not the main problem. It depends really on how you excel in your studies. The rest is not unachievable. Difficult yes. but not unachievable. Burn that midnight oil mate, I wish you well. @chuck. Am I right !! Mmmm, looks like chuck is on one of his sorties. @Carl-the truth. We are not talking about getting your hands dirty here ( let the Gaijin's do what we don't want to do ) I am talking about international cooperation. Do you honestly think that the work involved in JAXA is wholly Japanese. Really !!
Aerospace Engineer or Theoretical Astrophysicist?
Go for aerospace engineering. You can get a job with only a bachelors in the field, and it will pay more than most scientists with PhD make. Astrophysicists spend 3-4 times as long in college, make less money on average, and get very little choice in where they work. There are very few jobs in the field; you take what you can get, and move wherever it takes you. Also, while theoretical astrophysics sounds cool if you don't know much about the field, it makes you very hard to be employed.