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As an aspiring aeronautic engineer, what are the key skills and qualifications required to excel in the field Additionally, what are the current trends and future opportunities in aeronautic engineering, and how can one best prepare to contribute to innovations in aircraft design and aerospace technology??
As an aspiring aeronautic engineer, what are the key skills and qualifications required to excel in the field? Additionally, what are the current trends and future opportunities in aeronautic engineering, and how can one best prepare to contribute to innovations in aircraft design and aerospace technology?
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Dennis’s Answer
Hello Baqius,
After I read you question, I read Jordan's answer. He has some very good recommendations about the math skills that are needed. And, after that, you need the understanding of the physical sciences - bodies in motion, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electronics.
I am a Mechanical Engineer by training, but I dealt with electronics (using sensors and data acquistition systems), software - programs to analyze my data and/or to model a particular system and both analog and digital control theory. The point is: you may chose a particular engineering discipline like AE, but eventuall you will rub up against some aspects of another discipline. As you persue your education, you may find that some of these other topics are interesting to you. I would add another course recommendation: Statistics - it may come into play if you do failure analysis, data analysis ( including "how much error is in my data?"), and, of course, when you are studying a system and you don't know the major and minor factors the affect its performance, Analysis of Variations is a very useful tool.
I would also recommend some non-academic topics to pursue: 1) Teamwork - how can you contribute to the success of your team on a project; 2) Innovation and Creativity - always be thinking: how does this system work? Why did somebody design it this way? How can I make it work better?; Can we eliminate a part? Can we make it bigger/smaller/different material, etc...... Is there an analogous system that I can study to better understand this one? Why/How did this system fail? (Hint: watch "Air Disasters" on Smithsonian(?) Channel.
3) Can I model this system to study its behavior? What assumptions or simplifications do I have to make? Coversely, if I am using a model - what assumptions and simplifications did the Originator make? What parameters do I need for the model? In your college studies, many of the parameters of a problem are given to you - mainly so you can focus on the method or concept you are currently studying. But, in our everydayl work, the problem is not so "clean." You may need to wade through the weeds to figure out what the actual problem is; then, you may need to measure or determine some of the key parameters in order to do your analysis. 4) Time Management - Not all work and no play, but about 95% work and 5% play. And don't forget that you might have to work on more than one problem at a time. Make schedules and meet due dates! 5) Communication - Extremely important. You must communicate with your team members, your boss and his/her boss. This includes both oral and written (and text) communications. Be concise. Be thorough. LISTEN to what others have to say. Ask them to clarify if the information does not ring true for you.
Lastly,
Sometimes, you find yourself or your team doing something that hasn't been done before. YOU have to become the EXPERT!
Good luck, Baqius!
After I read you question, I read Jordan's answer. He has some very good recommendations about the math skills that are needed. And, after that, you need the understanding of the physical sciences - bodies in motion, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electronics.
I am a Mechanical Engineer by training, but I dealt with electronics (using sensors and data acquistition systems), software - programs to analyze my data and/or to model a particular system and both analog and digital control theory. The point is: you may chose a particular engineering discipline like AE, but eventuall you will rub up against some aspects of another discipline. As you persue your education, you may find that some of these other topics are interesting to you. I would add another course recommendation: Statistics - it may come into play if you do failure analysis, data analysis ( including "how much error is in my data?"), and, of course, when you are studying a system and you don't know the major and minor factors the affect its performance, Analysis of Variations is a very useful tool.
I would also recommend some non-academic topics to pursue: 1) Teamwork - how can you contribute to the success of your team on a project; 2) Innovation and Creativity - always be thinking: how does this system work? Why did somebody design it this way? How can I make it work better?; Can we eliminate a part? Can we make it bigger/smaller/different material, etc...... Is there an analogous system that I can study to better understand this one? Why/How did this system fail? (Hint: watch "Air Disasters" on Smithsonian(?) Channel.
3) Can I model this system to study its behavior? What assumptions or simplifications do I have to make? Coversely, if I am using a model - what assumptions and simplifications did the Originator make? What parameters do I need for the model? In your college studies, many of the parameters of a problem are given to you - mainly so you can focus on the method or concept you are currently studying. But, in our everydayl work, the problem is not so "clean." You may need to wade through the weeds to figure out what the actual problem is; then, you may need to measure or determine some of the key parameters in order to do your analysis. 4) Time Management - Not all work and no play, but about 95% work and 5% play. And don't forget that you might have to work on more than one problem at a time. Make schedules and meet due dates! 5) Communication - Extremely important. You must communicate with your team members, your boss and his/her boss. This includes both oral and written (and text) communications. Be concise. Be thorough. LISTEN to what others have to say. Ask them to clarify if the information does not ring true for you.
Lastly,
Sometimes, you find yourself or your team doing something that hasn't been done before. YOU have to become the EXPERT!
Good luck, Baqius!
Updated
Jordan’s Answer
Hi Baqius! I want to start this answer by saying that I am not an aeronautic engineer, but I pursued some overlapping courses at one time and have friends who now use their AE degree working with aerospace companies (such as Blue Origin), so while I hope I can point you in the right direction some other commenters may have more accurate, updated, or relevant information.
That being said, aeronautics/aerospace is a very broad field, but in general having a very solid mathematics and science foundation will be the backbone of your academic career, and will help set you up for success in your later courses. Being proficient in applied mathematics topics, such as calculus, linear algebra, ordinary- and partial-differential equations (my personal favorite courses during my studies as a mathematics major) will all be a necessity to help you fully grasp some of the more challenging physics/engineering topics you should expect to see, such as mechanics, stress, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and more. You may also find yourself learning more about electronic systems (although I assume the majority of this work is done collaboratively with electrical engineers) as well as construction materials. Besides technical skills, being able to think independently (but still work with a team), organizational skills, being able to think creatively and intuitively, as well as other common office/teamwork soft skills will be a great addition to have.
I have been told from peers that some common software that is used are things such as CAD and CAE, as well as SolidWorks, MATLAB, Python, Excel, and more, which are skills that you will learn during your studies. Each specific job and company may have different requirements or work with different tools, but these seem to be some of the more common ones.
I hope that others in the field can speak more about their experiences and answer more of your second question, and I hope that this helps you get an idea of what to expect!
That being said, aeronautics/aerospace is a very broad field, but in general having a very solid mathematics and science foundation will be the backbone of your academic career, and will help set you up for success in your later courses. Being proficient in applied mathematics topics, such as calculus, linear algebra, ordinary- and partial-differential equations (my personal favorite courses during my studies as a mathematics major) will all be a necessity to help you fully grasp some of the more challenging physics/engineering topics you should expect to see, such as mechanics, stress, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and more. You may also find yourself learning more about electronic systems (although I assume the majority of this work is done collaboratively with electrical engineers) as well as construction materials. Besides technical skills, being able to think independently (but still work with a team), organizational skills, being able to think creatively and intuitively, as well as other common office/teamwork soft skills will be a great addition to have.
I have been told from peers that some common software that is used are things such as CAD and CAE, as well as SolidWorks, MATLAB, Python, Excel, and more, which are skills that you will learn during your studies. Each specific job and company may have different requirements or work with different tools, but these seem to be some of the more common ones.
I hope that others in the field can speak more about their experiences and answer more of your second question, and I hope that this helps you get an idea of what to expect!
Updated
Sreedhar’s Answer
Hi Baqius,
One specific field that I would like to mention is NASA's next moon mission and beyond that their plans for Mars. But keep below general comments in mind.
As you progress in your studies, the answers to your will start becoming apparent to you. Don't worry about current trends or future opportunities. Start trying to understand which aeronautical engineering courses have interested you the most. Those courses will guide you in choosing a path forward. I recommend studying beyond bachelor's degree to get a master's degree as soon as you finish bachelor's degree. You can work while studying if you need to financially support yourself.
Good luck!
One specific field that I would like to mention is NASA's next moon mission and beyond that their plans for Mars. But keep below general comments in mind.
As you progress in your studies, the answers to your will start becoming apparent to you. Don't worry about current trends or future opportunities. Start trying to understand which aeronautical engineering courses have interested you the most. Those courses will guide you in choosing a path forward. I recommend studying beyond bachelor's degree to get a master's degree as soon as you finish bachelor's degree. You can work while studying if you need to financially support yourself.
Good luck!