College For A Young Aerospace Engineer

[barrelheaven]

Okay I haven't been on this website in awhile but wow!Nice job FG Team!Well Im a junior in High School and I think I am going to commit myself to a career in aerospace engineering. For all you old timers out there that have experience in this field PLEASE PLEASE give me advice. I am not decided on what colleges I want to apply for and advice would be so helpful. I am really excited for all this college stuff and your word is highly valued.

Thank You,
Christian Bosworth

[iflyrc3Dstyle]

Embry Riddle, I am enrolled right now. Excellent college!

[Reza]

Christian,

You're right around the corner from me Well, best schools for Aerospace locally and nationwide:

In California:
Caltech the best for aerospace!
UC Berkeley
Stanford
USC
UCLA

out of state:
MIT

Good Luck

[Sukhoikid]

Any good aerospace colleges in TN??? I am hoping to get a scolarship for football as a kicker. Luckily my coach knows a lot of colleges in the SE.

[todhog]

Kevin, you'll never make it as a kicker. Morten Andersen has come back to out kick your young skinny butt!



Todd

[barrelheaven]

Do most people get jobs right out of college?

[iflyrc3Dstyle]

Barrelheaven,

You need time time and more time in the cockpit for a job right out of college. The more hours you have the better. It just all depends on what type of pilot you would like to be.

[Reza]

You can get your first job easier if you have graduated from one of the top schools. Second and ... jobs are almost solely on your experience and doesn't depend on your school as much!

	Quote: Originally Posted by barrelheaven
	Do most people get jobs right out of college?

[Stainless Skills]

You want to be an aerospace engineer????

…..Or a pilot?

If you want to be an engineer, check out University of Idaho, I have, and it sounds sweet. I am for sure sending an application in there. You don’t have much homework but lots of class time and hands on experience building stuff and experimenting.

I have heard that Boeing and other aviation companies line up first for the graduation class of U of Idaho. You will be guaranteed a job when you graduate there, it would probably kick ass too but then again, I have never graduated.

You are guaranteed a job right out of college if you go to University of Idaho, or so I am told......

[VIPER69]

Well there are a ton of great schools out there.
I went to the University of Oklahoma and no regrets.

If you are really smart, go to MIT. They really do better in the market as a rule. Plus all the cool programs recruit from there... from the CIA to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Boeing Phantom Works. Super secret stuff that someone from OU has about nada chance working for them.

If you are good, but not perfect...Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Arizona (and AZ State) and many others.

Bottom line is that there are way too few engineers out there and you will have work before you ever leave college. Secret for more pay is to intern as a junior and senior.

Expect to make 55-60k a year right out of the gates. It only gets better from there. If your grades are decent, and you intern, and don't dork things up in interviews you will have multiple job offers.

Something to think about... I am a mechanical engineer. I work in aerospace on some very cool stuff. I mean, very cool military-space stuff.

Problem is if times get bad for areospace...like happened about 15 years ago... Boeing engineers were flipping burgers... as a mechanical you can work at any company with engineers. More versatile, and the difference between the two programs is like 3 classes. No kidding. Just something to think about.

[Mithrandir]

I am looking to hire Aerospace/Mechanical Engineers!!!!
http://www.uav.com
mike.stroup@uav.com

My first choice is not recent college grads... but the market is good for engineers right now....
The 55K statement rings fairly true....

OK..... Schools to graduate from:

MIT
Stanford
yada
yada
yada...
we all know this... so lets talk about schools most are
likely to be able to afford.....

Cal Poly Pomona... Dr Edberg is an awesome Professor... he didn't just get his
PhD (Stanford) and go right into teaching... he worked industry for 20 years and
then went into teaching... Pomona is a teaching university... so all the professors
are not hung up on getting "Published"... they are focused on teaching....

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ... (SLO)... another good school

Kansas... (I am not sure... but Jan Roskam may still teach there)

[VIPER69]

Yea, what Mike said.
It is important to find a school where the professors come from industry.
Unfortunately that is very hard to figure out unless you know someone who went there.

University of Oklahoma is set up for those going on the PhD, which ain't me!
I learned things about calc and stress analysis that I NEVER EVER will use, and unfortunately have forgotten. It was not practical stuff either. Had to take a modern physics class as a required course, which sounds cool, but give me a break. I would prefer to learn what a 4-40 socket head cap screw actually means instead of how time travel is possible...in theory.

When you graduate, you will go to a company that will teach you what you need to know. The college will just set you up with a background enabling you to learn what they are teaching. How many calc classes do you really need? If you are not going to be a PhD, then two ought to do anything you will ever see. But get prepared you will have 4, plus Engine Math, and some other courses you most likely won't need. I work with a bunch of controls guys and gimbal moving freaks who use some of this stuff, but they are a rare breed... and one is a PhD ex-professor from Notre Dame (under 30 years old), so go figure.

California has some great schools, plus in-state tuition is a nice plus.