2 answers
Shandiin
Student
Gallup, New Mexico
1
Question
Asked
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What is an average work day look like to aerospace engineer?
What do you do on a day to day basis. Take me step by step, what you would do on an average work day. Do you make plans, create new things, come up with ideas? #aerospace #nasa #engineer
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2 answers
Saboor Qudsi
Mechanical Design Engineer
1
Answer
Houston, Texas
Updated
Saboor’s Answer
Hey Shandiin!
Aerospace engineers can do so many different things in the Aerospace industry. In school they learn a myriad of subjects which give them knowledge in areas like aerospace structures, propulsion, aerodynamics, controls, etc. Each engineer is usually responsible for focusing on only one of those items so their day-to-day varies. I worked in manufacturing so I'll share my everyday routine and hopefully that will provide some insight for you!
I worked Mon-Thurs 10-hour days. So I woke up around 5-am everyday and got ready because I had to be in the assembly building by 6 in the morning. Not every company does this but after I got used to the early mornings I actually enjoyed it.
The first 30 minutes involved checking emails and responding to my co-workers. I also set out what I wanted to accomplish for the day.
Then until lunch I was working on/inside aircraft to inspect all their mechanical systems like flight controls and avionics. As airplanes get worked on they sometimes got damaged so it was the job of my team to disposition repairs for them. My team also was responsible for checking structural, fuel, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems for any damage or deviation from Engineering Spec. The assembly plant is huge and at any one single time there could be 10 aircraft being worked on each with a long list of items to fix or get inspected.
For the second half of the day I was focused on process improvements. So lots of statistics to help improve manufacturing of aircraft. I would be hunting down chronic problems by analyzing data collected through the company's product management software. If I found an issue I would then look at ways to improve it. If the problem was much more deep rooted then we would contact the Design Engineering team to help us create a solution and implement it. So it was problem solving all the time.
We came up with new ideas and plans almost everyday. I worked with super smart and talented engineers which made it rewarding to work. I hope that helped. Other engineers in the industry may have different routines. But one common denominator in much of engineering is that you seldom work alone. A great team gets great results.
Aerospace engineers can do so many different things in the Aerospace industry. In school they learn a myriad of subjects which give them knowledge in areas like aerospace structures, propulsion, aerodynamics, controls, etc. Each engineer is usually responsible for focusing on only one of those items so their day-to-day varies. I worked in manufacturing so I'll share my everyday routine and hopefully that will provide some insight for you!
I worked Mon-Thurs 10-hour days. So I woke up around 5-am everyday and got ready because I had to be in the assembly building by 6 in the morning. Not every company does this but after I got used to the early mornings I actually enjoyed it.
The first 30 minutes involved checking emails and responding to my co-workers. I also set out what I wanted to accomplish for the day.
Then until lunch I was working on/inside aircraft to inspect all their mechanical systems like flight controls and avionics. As airplanes get worked on they sometimes got damaged so it was the job of my team to disposition repairs for them. My team also was responsible for checking structural, fuel, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems for any damage or deviation from Engineering Spec. The assembly plant is huge and at any one single time there could be 10 aircraft being worked on each with a long list of items to fix or get inspected.
For the second half of the day I was focused on process improvements. So lots of statistics to help improve manufacturing of aircraft. I would be hunting down chronic problems by analyzing data collected through the company's product management software. If I found an issue I would then look at ways to improve it. If the problem was much more deep rooted then we would contact the Design Engineering team to help us create a solution and implement it. So it was problem solving all the time.
We came up with new ideas and plans almost everyday. I worked with super smart and talented engineers which made it rewarding to work. I hope that helped. Other engineers in the industry may have different routines. But one common denominator in much of engineering is that you seldom work alone. A great team gets great results.
Bill Russo
Program Manager, Professor
18
Answers
Dayton, Ohio
Updated
Bill’s Answer
Shandiin, be prepared for every day to be unique and not as predictable as one may wish. In general, the first part of the workday is evaluating what has happened since I left work the previous day - usually work will be going on around the clock, and new tests, or procurement issues, or tech changes will pop up that have to be assessed as to how they affect your project. I usually had a "daily check in" first with my team where eveyrone voiced concerns, identified new things, reported progress, gave an idea of their plans for their day and what assistance they may need from you, etc. (Bu tther trick is keeping this meeting short - 15-20 minutes max.) Then, you always have to keep in mind your ultimate customers and their needs, and any changes they request that get passed down to you.
If you are flexible and have good teamwork skills you will do very well here. But know some of these traits are learned on the job, not so much in school (unless you do formal projects, capstones. etc.) Such as getting along with all kinds of people, focusing on results, and emphasising positive approaches and creative problem solving.
After the daily assessment I have had to plan MY use of time to focus on using the above traits to get results. My day could involve any or all of designing, troubleshooting (including "coming up with new ideas" to remove roadblocks to progress), updating documentation, attending meetings that I call and that others call, doing or reviewing test results, revising plans, email and phone calls - keeping them productive and short, writing reports for superiors, or writing or reviewing tech materials for users.
And many times the day does not go as planned, so some real-time RE-PLANNING may be needed during the day.
Some days I end up pitching in and doing some module or system testing or debugging that techs normally would do, or working a different shift to cover ongoing continuing efforts such as long-term vibration or thermal testing. I may need to travel to another facility to assist, troubleshoot, or do a technical presentation there.
In summary, one needs to be prepared to do any of the things you cited in your question, on any day, and on a flexible timeline.
If you have not mined the NASA website for "aerospece engineer" do that now.
There are major contractors who do work for NASA, such as Boeing. Look on the NASA website for mention of their "suppliers" and then dig into these contractor websites. They always brag about what they are doing for prime customers such as NASA. They will NOT usually go into day to day details that you are looking for, but look for key AE words and terms that you can do searches on.
Do the key word searches on AE "jargon" that you find.
Search for AE societies and associations you can explore similarly on line for the flavor of the work or more key terms, and follow up. The biggie here is AIAA. If you are in college, see if there is a student branch or related club you can join.
If you can join or are in a AE related club, seek leadership positions in that organization. Use the club leverage to seek and cultivate liaisons with folks in your geographical area in the industry. There should be good possibilities in the Houston area.
If you are flexible and have good teamwork skills you will do very well here. But know some of these traits are learned on the job, not so much in school (unless you do formal projects, capstones. etc.) Such as getting along with all kinds of people, focusing on results, and emphasising positive approaches and creative problem solving.
After the daily assessment I have had to plan MY use of time to focus on using the above traits to get results. My day could involve any or all of designing, troubleshooting (including "coming up with new ideas" to remove roadblocks to progress), updating documentation, attending meetings that I call and that others call, doing or reviewing test results, revising plans, email and phone calls - keeping them productive and short, writing reports for superiors, or writing or reviewing tech materials for users.
And many times the day does not go as planned, so some real-time RE-PLANNING may be needed during the day.
Some days I end up pitching in and doing some module or system testing or debugging that techs normally would do, or working a different shift to cover ongoing continuing efforts such as long-term vibration or thermal testing. I may need to travel to another facility to assist, troubleshoot, or do a technical presentation there.
In summary, one needs to be prepared to do any of the things you cited in your question, on any day, and on a flexible timeline.
Bill recommends the following next steps: