Aerospace Engineering
By: Gian Lezotte
The field of Aerospace Engineering is...
the design, development, construction, and testing of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, satellites, radars, and many other things that go on in the sky above us. Although Aerospace Engineering mainly falls under the category of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering will still be used a lot. The Mechanical side of Aerospace is the physical form of the space/aircraft while the Electrical side is what makes the craft work. I am interested in this field because the idea of aiding in space travel and innovating air travel intrigues me.
On a typical day, an Aerospace Engineer...
works in the field most of the time because they need to be able to see and test out how well their inventions/innovations work. An Aerospace Engineer also spends a lot of time working with colleagues due to the difficulty of the job and may need aid in their creations. Aerospace Engineers must also be cautious while working as they are surrounded by a lot of electronic equipment that they are either using or creating and there's a possibility of them going haywire or an explosion and, if they are using or creating heavy equipment, it may also fall on them and cause major injury and/or break.
An Aerospace Engineer typically makes...
around $105,000 yearly. As with most jobs, this amount depends on which company the engineer is working for and which position the person currently has. The starting salary is usually around $60,000 but increases quickly as you stay within the company, with some salaries going up to $150,000, although that is usually reserved for those who have been working as an engineer for a long time. Even just a couple years (usually less than 5), an Aerospace Engineer's salary can job up a good $20,000.
The education requirement to become an Aerospace Engineer is...
a bachelor's degree, minimum. The person will most likely have to major in aerospace or aeronautical engineering but some of the more general engineering degrees such as mechanical or electrical may also be accepted depending on the company. People with specialized degrees and master's degrees usually begin work with a higher starting salary depending on what the company they've applied for is specializing in. On top of their degree, however, they will also have to test for a license which is given after they have experience in the field and pass an exam.
References
https://docs.google.com/a/friscoisd.org/presentation/d/1zEslmSk9HDFAhL4F74A0fqFWbo_4rY9UtBGEuPj3Xoc/edit?usp=sharing
https://www.sokanu.com/careers/aerospace-engineer/salary/
http://spacetravel.jp/wp-content/themes/spacetravel/images/tours/suborbital/back01.jpg
http://marshall.org/wp-content/themes/marshall/img/featured-space-policy.jpg